


All Grown Up

by mitchkat1



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien - Freeform, F/M, Kinda Adult AU, LadyNoir - Freeform, Lots of Fluff (Again), Marinette - Freeform, Sweet Lovin', adrienette - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-07-22
Packaged: 2018-06-04 14:00:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 49,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6661336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitchkat1/pseuds/mitchkat1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“C-Chat...” Ladybug stammered as she slowly stood up. Her legs were shaking. “Something isn’t right. You’re... you’re...”</p><p>“I’m what?” Chat Noir said, resting a hand on his hip. He didn’t seem to notice what Ladybug was referencing, but to her the changes were blatantly obvious. </p><p>He was taller than normal, probably just a few inches over six feet now. His legs and arms had more muscle to them. He was well-toned before, but this was far more impressive. Around his face, there was the beginnings of a light beard. His hair went down just before his shoulders. Chat looked like he had aged ten years in a matter of seconds. </p><p>A story where Chat Noir suddenly finds himself as an adult and it might take some time before things can go back to normal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Have two stories at once because why the hell not?
> 
> I really love the idea of adult Adrien. He's absolutely beautiful and I'm all over adult AUs. But what if we had adult Adrien in the normal Miraculous universe?

Marinette pulled multiple loaves of freshly baked baguettes out of the oven. The delicious smell of bread filled the bakery, causing Marinette's stomach to growl. She couldn't eat these loaves though. They were for the customers. Marinette set the loaves down on the counter, careful not to burn herself on the hot crust. Needing to let them cool for a while, Marinette walked into the front of the bakery where her mother was managing the cash register.

"Did you pull out the baguettes?" Sabine asked as she took money from a customer. She pushed a few buttons on the register and handed the woman her change. Marinette nodded and said, "They're cooling. I'll go back and wrap them in a few minutes. I need a little break first though."

It was the weekend which was a busy time for the bakery. People came early in the morning to pick up breakfast, but more people came for lunch than usual. The bakery had run out of fresh baguettes earlier than expected, so Tom was forced to make more. After he finished making the dough, he had to run out to the store to pick up some more ingredients since the next shipment of ingredients wouldn't arrive for two more days. Marinette and Sabine had been left behind to run the bakery and the amount of customers they had was crazy.

Marinette grabbed herself a glass of water and took a sip, letting the cool liquid quench her thirst. She got thirsty working around the oven. It was always so hot back there. Marinette normally didn't help with baking, but she wasn't bad at it. She did make quite a mess though. There was flour all over her pants and apron which she would have to wash out later. There was even flour in her hair.

" _I guess I'll need a shower too!"_ Marinette giggled to herself. " _I even smell like a bakery though that really isn't a bad thing. I'll go clean up once Papa gets back."_

"Marinette, could you take the broom and sweep the front entrance?" Sabine asked sweetly. "I noticed it was getting dirty out there and I don't want anyone tracking dirt in. I'll take care of the baguettes, sweetie." Sabine grabbed the broom from the corner and handed it it to her daughter. Marinette grabbed the broom with a sigh. Cleaning was her least favorite job.

" _At least it's nice outside,"_ she mused as she stepped into the warm sunlight. Her mother had been right about the dirt. The front steps of the bakery were covered in grime and Marinette didn't want that getting into the bakery. She'd probably have to clean that up too.

Marinette began to sweep the dust and dirt away, humming a little song to herself. She waved at the people passing by and they offered her warm smiles. The people that lived in this area were unbelievably kind. One nice, old woman even stopped to ask Marinette how school was going.

After a few minutes of sweeping, Marinette was beginning to work up a sweat. " _It was dirtier out here than I thought,"_ she sighed, leaning the broom against the bakery wall's. " _Thank goodness I'm almost done. Maybe Mama will let me try some of the cupcakes as a reward though I haven't gotten the chance to decorate them yet. But look at this! I don't think I've seen the bakery ever look this clean before!"_ Marinette admired her handiwork proudly. Finally, she could head back inside. She was hungry and still needed to shower.

Before heading inside, Marinette heard a group of kids playing around the park. She looked behind her and saw the neighborhood children chasing each other in circles, most likely playing a game of tag. Within the circle was a teenage girl with glasses and braids. She was tugging on her braids in anguish and screaming, "Please stop! You'll hurt yourselves! Calm down! Stop running!" The girl tried to grab one of the kids, but he wriggled out of her hands. The rest of the children yelled at her, upset that she was trying to ruin their fun.

The girl fell to her knees and grabbed a fistful of grass in anger. She looked completely exhausted. When one of the little girls tugged on her pigtails, the teenage girl didn't even move. If Marinette had been closer, she would have heard the girl begin to sob, completely overwhelmed by the children. They refused to listen to anything she would say and went out of their way to do the complete opposite.

" _Poor girl..."_ Marinette thought with a frown. " _She's probably their babysitter. I would hate to look after bratty kids like that. They remind me of little Chloes."_ A shiver ran down Marinette's spine. That would be a nightmare. Even though the neighborhood children had a sweet side, they loved to misbehave.

" _Maybe I'll go over and bring them some treats from the bakery. That would calm them down and give that girl a break. I would've gone crazy by now if I was in her shoes."_

Marinette opened the door to the bakery when she heard one of the children cry out, "Look! It's a pretty butterfly!" Marinette's body whipped around just in time to see a black butterfly floating around the head of the young girl. It landed on the girl's thin-rimmed glasses and a purple mist enveloped her. Marinette could hardly get out a word before the damage was done.

"Mama, I'll be right back!" Marinette shouted into the bakery, making sure to shut the door afterwards. She sprinted away into the safety of a nearby alley. She could hear the sudden screams of the children from the park. The girl had already been akumatized, but if Marinette was fast enough, she might be able to stop the monster before she caused any damage. She needed to go save those children, brats or not.

"Tikki, wake up!" Marinette cried into her purse, snapping it open. The little kwami's eyes slowly opened. She rubbed them with her tiny hands and yawned, "What's going on? I was having a lovely dream..."

"Sorry, but there's no time for dreaming! There's an akuma in the park and I think she's going to attack those kids!"

"Then what are we waiting for?"

"Tikki, spots on!" There was a pink swirl of light and Marinette felt a familiar mask appear on her face. She looked down and found herself suited up, ready to go. She ran out of the alley and back towards the park. She had no time to lose.

Ladybug spotted the group of children cowering behind the bronze statue of Ladybug and Chat Noir. One of the little girls was crying, absolutely terrified. She held onto one of her friends, hoping they would offer some protection. An akuma attack was too much for their little hearts. Ladybug raced to defend them, but was interrupted by a bloodcurdling scream.

"Come out! Come out! Don't you want to play?"

A menacing figure appeared in front of the statue, sticking itself between Ladybug and the children. The akuma was tall and lean. Her braids were a wild mess and her skin was a soft pink. Her outfit was reminiscent of an old nursemaid and her expression was anything but kind.

The akuma cocked her head to the side and slowly approached the kids. She gave them a smile straight out of a horror movie and reached her arms out almost to embrace them. "It's okay," she whispered in a menacing tone. "I'm here to take care of you. Don't you want to come play with me?"

"Not so fast!" Ladybug called, unhooking her yo-yo from it's belt. She threw the yo-yo at the akuma and it twisted around it's arm. Ladybug gave the string a tug and the akuma fell backwards into the dirt. " _This won't be so bad,"_ Ladybug thought confidently. " _This definitely isn't one of Hawkmoth's strongest or cleverest akuma. Is he losing his touch? It'd make my job a lot easier."_

Much to Ladybug's dismay, the akuma quickly unraveled the yo-yo string and stood back up. This time her target was Ladybug. "I am the Babysitter!" The akuma bellowed, her fists clenched. "I'm in charge, so you better sit down and listen!" The akuma held out it's hands and a blast of energy came flying towards the Parisian superhero.

Ladybug easily dodged the attack, but wondered what would have happened if it hit her. " _I need to stop the akuma, but I also need to make sure those kids are safe,"_ Ladybug worried, glancing back at the children. They were frozen in place, paralyzed with fear. " _If I call out to them, it'll only send the akuma in their direction. Gah! What should I do?"_

"Can I lend a helping paw, my lady?"

Ladybug turned to see a grinning Chat Noir. He bowed and gave her a wink. "I see you're having some trouble with our friend here. What's the problem? Didn't tip her well?"

"She's after those kids," Ladybug explained, pointing at the kids behind the statue. "I can deal with her if you protect the children. Make sure they get away to safety. I'm counting on you!" Chat Noir saw the kids and his expression turned sullen. He could deal with bratty girls like Chloe. He could deal with distant, unloving fathers. But he could not deal with people who picked on innocent, little kids.

"I'm on it, LB!" Chat Noir proclaimed as he reached for his staff. He extended it and vaulted himself over the monster. The akuma watched with wide eyes as a black cat flew past her vision, a cheeky smile on his face. Chat Noir landed on the ground in front of the children.

"You all need to run!" He pointed in the opposite direction. "Get away as fast as possible! Ladybug and I can handle this."

"Chat Noir!" One of the boys screamed in glee. "Is it really you?" All of the children's fear seemed to dissolve into excitement. They had never seen Chat Noir nor Ladybug up close before. The children grabbed onto Chat Noir's legs and began pelting him with annoying questions. Chat Noir panicked, unsure of what to do. They weren't listening to him even though they were in grave danger.

The akuma rose her hands, preparing for another attack, but her target had returned to being the children once she heard their excited screams. "You're misbehaving again!" the akuma growled, turning her back to Ladybug. "It looks like you need to be punished!"

Ladybug saw Chat Noir struggling to handle the kids and reached her hand out to stop the akuma. "No!" Ladybug cried out, attempting to catch the akuma's arm again with her yo-yo, but she missed. The yo-yo fell onto the ground beside the akuma with a sad _thud_.

"Why can't you stupid kids behave and just grow up?" The akuma screamed, stomping her feet on the ground. Another golden blast of energy left her hands and headed straight towards the kids. Chat Noir saw the projectile coming and jumped into action. With his cat-like reflexes, he kicked the kids off his legs and pulled them into his arms. He put his back to the akuma, acting as the children's shield. He promised Ladybug he wouldn't let any harm come to them and he would keep that promise.

The blast hit him straight on, knocking him to the ground. He laid unconscious. "C-Chat Noir?" One of the kids said, his upper lip quivering. The child burst into tears and was soon joined by his companions. "Is he dead?" They cried, not understanding that hero had sacrificed himself to protect them. They threw themselves over the black cat, but he showed no response.

Ladybug watched the projectile hit her partner, causing him to crumple to the ground. A sudden flash of anger consumed her. "No one does that to my kitty!" She screamed as she threw her yo-yo at the akuma with great force. The yo-yo hit the akuma's glasses, knocking them off her face. The akuma screamed, suddenly being unable to see, and unknowingly stepped onto her glasses which shattered them into pieces. A black butterfly emerged from the debris.

Quickly, Ladybug leaped over the akuma and snapped the butterfly. "No more evildoing for you!" Ladybug exclaimed proudly as she released the insect back into the wild. "Bye bye, pretty butterfly! I don't want to see you around here ever again."

While Ladybug was finishing off the akuma, Chat Noir was beginning to stir, but something wasn't right. His body felt like it was on fire. His pulse was racing and he was sweating profusely. His bones felt like they were melting and every fiber of his being felt like it was be rearranged and shoved someplace where it didn't belong. He wanted to scream out in pain, but even that hurt too much. He could hardly make out the muffled cries of the young children hovering above him. His senses were dulled and everything was hazy.

Ladybug ran over to Chat Noir and sent the young children away. "Please go home," she demanded, gesturing in the direction of their homes. "I'll take care of Chat Noir. I promise that he'll be okay. This kitten is tougher than he looks. Go tell your parents that you're all okay. They're probably worried about you." The children nodded reluctantly and then took off running to tell their families what they had just witnessed.

"Chat, are you okay?" Ladybug put her partner's head in her lap when she realized there was something strange about him. He felt heavier than before and his hair seemed shaggier as if it had grown five more inches. She brushed the stray hair out of his face and noticed that he looked different too. His face was significantly more matured almost like an adult's. His chin was sharper and his whole face was slightly slimmer.

" _Something isn't right."_

Chat Noir's eyes fluttered open and he saw his lady worrying above him. He reached out his hand and caressed her face. Her skin was soft and smooth. The pain inside Chat Noir's body had subsided and he finally felt like he could speak again. His lady must have rejuvenating powers.

"Were you worried about me, bugaboo?" He smiled, letting his finger outline her cheek. His voice was deeper than usual like that of a grown man.

Ladybug quickly pulled away from Chat Noir, letting his head hit the ground. "Ow!" Chat Noir groaned as he helped himself to his feet. He rubbed the back of his head where a small bump was beginning to form. "What was that for? You could have just asked me to get off."

"C-Chat..." Ladybug stammered as she slowly stood up. Her legs were shaking. "Something isn't right. You're... you're..."

"I'm what?" Chat Noir said, resting a hand on his hip. He didn't seem to notice what Ladybug was referencing, but to her the changes were blatantly obvious.

He was taller than normal, probably just a few inches over six feet now. His legs and arms had more muscle to them. He was well-toned before, but this was far more impressive. Around his face, there was the beginnings of a light beard. His hair went down just before his shoulders. Chat looked like he had aged ten years in a matter of seconds.

" _So that's what that beam of light did..."_ Ladybug thought as she observed her partner. " _This isn't the Chat Noir I know. It's what Chat Noir would look like as an adult! The akuma must've wanted to turn those kids into adults to make them behave, but Chat Noir got hit instead! Oh no... just what have we gotten ourselves into?"_

"Your silence is a bit worrying, my lady," Chat said, stepping closer to Ladybug. "What's wrong? We defeated the akuma already, but you still have that nervous look." Ladybug opened her yo-yo and opened the camera. She handed it to Chat Noir and he looked at what it showed him.

"What's this?" He asked. "A picture of someone cosplaying as me? That's flattering and all, but I don't think now is a good time for-"

"No..." Ladybug responded, biting her lip. "That's you."

"Me?"

For the first time, Chat Noir looked down at himself and realized she was right. He noticed that he seemed further from the ground and that his voice was deeper than normal. He looked back at the yo-yo and found a familiar, yet aged face staring back at him. He grasped his face as that would give him a different conclusion, but to no avail.

"I think the akuma turned you into an adult," Ladybug explained, taking her yo-yo back. "She wanted to punish those little kids and make them more responsible, but you got in her way and saved them."

"It doesn't matter, right?" Chat Noir said hopefully. "You can fix things with your miraculous cure! Just do the thing you usually do!"

Ladybug's blood ran cold. She looked back at the spot where she had defeated the akuma and noticed that the babysitter had already disappeared, probably to find where the kids she had been watching had ran off to. " _I didn't use my lucky charm to fight the akuma,"_ Ladybug thought as she slowly realized her mistake. " _I was so upset that I blindly went after the akuma with my yo-yo and purified it directly after. No lucky charm means no miraculous cure which means I can't turn Chat back to normal!"_

"Promise you won't be mad..."

Chat Noir raised an eyebrow. He didn't like the sound of that. He crossed his arms and thumped his foot impatiently. His eyes narrowed as he leaned in towards Ladybug. "What does that mean?"

"I can't use the miraculous cure because I didn't use my lucky charm which means you might be stuck like this for a while..."

"What!?" Chat Noir couldn't believe what he was hearing. " _She's freaking Ladybug!"_ He thought in despair. " _I thought she could fix anything! What am I going to do? I can't go home or to school like this._ " Chat Noir briefly imagined the twenty five or so year old him walking into school. They would call the police on him!

"Don't panic!" Ladybug said, pressing her hands against Chat's chest if only to keep herself steady. HIs chest muscles had also become well-toned and Ladybug didn't really mind her current position. "I'll find a solution. I promise. Just give me some time, but you need to lay low for a while. Try to stay safe and keep away from people. We can't let anyone figure out that you're... well you!"

"And how do you expect me to do that?" Chat Noir was still startled by the sound of his new voice. It sounded so manly and had a fiercer tone. It was hard to believe this was what he would sound like in only ten years. He had never thought much about growing up. He naturally accepted it, but this was too much at once. He didn't want to be an adult. He had just started being able to act like a normal kid. It took so much to convince his father to let him go to school and have friends. How could he let that get ripped away from him now?

"I don't know," Ladybug sighed. She rubbed her temples and tried to keep herself calm. "Just do your best, Chat. If there's an akuma attack, you can come out and help, but that's it. I know you'll think of something. I'm really sorry, but I'll fix this for you. Give me time." The way he raised his voice startled her. Chat Noir rarely got upset especially with her.

"I know..." Chat Noir backed away from Ladybug and lowered his head. "I didn't mean to get upset. It isn't your fault. I'll figure something out. You should go..."

Ladybug watched Chat Noir extended his baton and vault away. He looked like a stranger despite wearing his familiar black suit. " _Way to go, Marinette!"_ Ladybug cursed herself as she headed back to an alley to detransform. " _I should've thought things through and not blindly attacked like that. I've made a huge mistake. And now I'd better find a way to get Chat out of this situation!"_

She detransformed and Tikki landed in her hands. "Tikki, what am I going to do?" Marinette moaned, leaning her back against the alley's brick wall. "Nothing like this has ever happened before. Can I still return him back to normal?"

"You should be able to," Tikki smiled even though she wasn't quite sure herself. "I don't know how yet, but magic can always be reversed. I think you should talk to you-know-who first. He might be able to tell you what to do. He knows more than me!"

"That's right!" Marinette exclaimed. "I totally forgot about him! He'll definitely know what to do. I'll go see him first thing tomorrow, but I have to get back to the bakery now. Mama is probably worried. I left without telling her where I was going."

Marinette slipped Tikki into her purse and made sure the coast was clear. She sneaked onto the sidewalk and then ran back to the bakery. She cautiously opened the door and saw her mom standing there, arms crossed. "Where have you been?" Sabine shouted as she ran to embrace her daughter. "You're father just got back and he said there was another akuma out there. Thank goodness Ladybug came and took care of it, but you could have been in danger! Call me when these things happen!"

"Sorry, Mama," Marinette apologized. "I didn't even realize there had been an attack. I went to go check on something for Alya and was on the complete other side of the neighborhood." Her mother seemed to accept this lie and released her daughter from the hug. Someone how Marinette always managed to find herself near trouble and that worried her parents to bits.

" _My parents got to find me home safe and sound, but what about Chat Noir's?"_ Marinette wondered. She hadn't even considered that he couldn't go home and see his family. What if he had to spend the night sleeping outside? " _I shouldn't have left him alone, but it's not like I could've let him stay with me. He'll figure something out. I know he will..."_ Still, guilt racked her heart. She felt like she abandoned him.

Chat Noir had ran until he found an alley shrouded in darkness. He was about to release his transformation, but hesitated for a moment. " _What am I going to do now?"_ He panicked, fiddling with his miraculous. " _I can't go home, but there isn't any other place for me to go. I'll have to spend the night outside for god's sake. Ladybug, you'd better fix this soon."_

He released his transformation and Plagg came whizzing out of the ring. The kwami gave an irritated moan as he landed in Adrien's palms face-first. "It's always a rough landing with you!" The creature moaned as he rubbed his nose. He turned to look up at Adrien and his eyes widened.

"What the hell happened to you?"


	2. A Special Guest

"An akuma got me, all right?" Adrien sighed. "Laugh all you want, but this is serious. Plagg, I can't go home looking like this. I look like I should have a job or own a house. No one is going to believe that I'm actually fifteen."

"Not gonna lie, you look pretty damn good ten years older."

"Thank you, but now isn't the time for compliments," Adrien moaned. He wished his stupid kwami could get his head out of the clouds for thirty seconds. This was a real problem. "If we can't go home, that means I can't feed you. Instead, we'll have to spend the night on the streets."

"This is problem," Plagg said immediately, having a sudden change of heart. "Be grateful that I, the almighty Plagg, have a temporary solution."

"What might that be, genius?"

"Lucky for you I know somebody who will let us stay the night for a little while with no questions asked. He'll probably even serve us dinner!"

"That sounds super sketchy. Who lets a stranger into their home that easily?"

"Take it or leave it," Plagg huffed, crossing his arms. "Since I'm sure an adult like you can take care of himself, right?"

Adrien moaned because he knew Plagg was right. He might look like an adult, but Adrien didn't know the first thing about surviving on his own. Usually, somebody did everything else for him. Someone made his food everyday. Someone made sure he made it to school and work on time. Someone made sure he had a roof over his head. All those things weren't guaranteed as an adult. Adrien had nothing but the clothes on his back and Plagg, so he would have to trust him.

"Where does this person live?"

Plagg led Adrien to a cosier part of the Paris. The apartments were smaller and the general age of everyone seemed in increase by thirty years. There were flower boxes and garden gnomes littered around. The neighborhood wasn't too far from the park where the akuma attack happened, but Adrien was still curious as to where he was. He had never traveled out this far.

"What a handsome young man," one of the old ladies who walked by said to her friend. "My husband used to look like that back when he was young. Now he's old and boring, but back then he was quite the looker. I had to fight off women left and right for his affections. Ah, to be young again..."

"It looks like he has a ring on too," the other lady whispered back, pointing at Adrien's miraculous. "He must be married. How cute. I wonder what she looks like." The two ladies laughed to themselves, making Adrien feel uncomfortable. " _I'm not married,"_ he huffed as he continued to walk down the street. " _I've never even had a girlfriend. How do I look old enough to be married?"_

"Here's the place!" Plagg whispered from underneath Adrien's shirt. Adrien stopped in front of a small house themed with Asian decor. There was a small stone lantern sitting near the door and a sign in the window that said, "Master Fu: Spiritual Doctor". " _What's a spiritual doctor?"_ Adrien wondered as he proceeded to knock on the door. A part of him didn't want to know.

A short Asian man answered the door immediately. He had a greying goatee and mustache. He was wearing a vibrant Hawaiian shirt with white flowers which seemed to contradict his wise demeanor. The man looked up at Adrien with intelligent, brown eyes and raised an eyebrow. "How may I help you, boy?" He asked.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck nervously and said, "I'm looking for a place to stay for a while and a friend of mine recommended that I come here. I'm in a little bit of trouble and have nowhere to go."

The man spied the silver ring on Adrien's finger. In his mind, all the puzzle pieces clicked. "Please come in," the old man smiled, opening the door wider for Adrien to enter. Adrien stepped inside and was surprised by the interior of the home. The ground was covered in tatami mats and there was a bonsai tree growing in the corner. An old record player was playing Chinese music. Adrien had never been in a house quite like it before. It was certainly different from his mansion.

"I am Master Fu," the man said, introducing himself with a bow. "Welcome to my humble abode. May I ask what your name is?"

"A-" Adrien stopped. He couldn't go around giving out his real name. That would create too many questions and he couldn't let anyone find out what happened to him. That might lead to people figuring out that he was Chat Noir. But he needed to come up with a name quickly. " _What's a good name?"_

"Actually it's... Felix." The name kind of just spilled out of Adrien's mouth. It was the first thing that came to mind though he didn't know why. " _God damn it,"_ Adrien cursed himself. " _Why that? Why did I think of that one first? There are way cooler names than that..."_

"Felix?" Master Fu said, stroking his beard. "Like the cat?"

"Yeah, my parents just really liked... err... cats." Adrien mentally facepalmed. He managed to make himself look like a complete idiot though the name was surprisingly appropriate.

"I see," Master Fu smiled. "I had an old pupil with that name once. It is nice to meet you, Felix. You are welcome to stay here for as long as you like."

"That's it? Do I have to fill out a form or pay some kinda rent?" Adrien asked in shock. Didn't it seem weird for a random guy to show up on your doorstep and ask for a place to stay? Master Fu's generosity couldn't extend that far, could it?

"That's it," Master Fu nodded. "I can tell you are a good boy. I trust you. Make yourself at home. I will go make us some tea." Master Fu shuffled off into the kitchen, leaving Adrien alone.

" _I can't believe my luck..."_ Adrien thought as he took as seat on the ground. " _How did Plagg know this guy was going to let me in? This all seems pretty weird, but I guess I can't object. He's giving me a place to stay and it's better than sleeping on someone's roof tonight."_

Master Fu came back from the kitchen and set out a small table in the center of the main room. Adrien moved to sit by the table and found it hard to get his legs underneath it even when sitting criss-crossed. He wasn't completely used to being so tall yet. His arms seemed like noodles and his legs kept getting in the way. Next Master Fu brought out a teapot and two small cups. He carefully poured Adrien a cup of tea.

The boy took the cup and blew on the top to cool it down. Truthfully, he had never had tea before. It never appealed to him in the past. He normally enjoyed sweet drinks like hot chocolate and turned away anything bitter or strong. Adrien still had trouble stomaching coffee with cream.

He brought the drink to his lips and took a small sip. The taste was slightly bitter, but to his surprise, he actually enjoyed it. In the past, Adrien hated these types of things, but perhaps being an adult had matured his tastes. He happily took another sip.

"This is very good," Adrien smiled, already halfway done with his cup. "I don't think I've had anything like it before."

"It's an ancient Chinese recipe."

"Really?"

"No, I bought at the store, but it still tastes very good."

Adrien laughed at the old man's joke. They had a very similar sense of humor. Living in this house might not be so bad.

Master Fu stood up and rummaged around in the drawer behind him. He triumphantly pulled out a rubber band and then walked over behind Adrien. "Um, what are you doing?" Adrien asked as the man pulled back Adrien's hair. "Your hair is very long. It will get into the tea if we do not fix it," Master Fu explained. He pulled Adrien's hair back into a short ponytail and tied it off with the rubber band.

When Master Fu finished fixing Adrien's hair, he wandered over to a nearby closet. Adrien pulled out his phone and used the camera to admire his new hairstyle. " _It's surprisingly fitting,"_ he thought. " _Maybe I'll grow my hair out like this in the future. A ponytail doesn't look half bad though father would die if he saw me right now.."_

" _Father... and Nathalie! I didn't tell anyone that I wouldn't be at home. Thank goodness father is away on business, but I'll have to text Nathalie and make something up. Hopefully she won't bother me too much. I can't get caught!"_

Adrien quickly texted Nathalie and hold her that he would be staying at a friend's house for a while. He promised that he would text her to check in often and that his friend was very trustworthy. She responded immediately, giving him permission and telling him to be safe. When his father was out of town, Nathalie tended to be more lenient on the rules since she felt bad for Adrien. Adrien was lucky she was in a good mood and decided to leave him alone.

As Adrien finished up his text messages, Master Fu laid out a giant, white futon on the ground. "What's that?" Adrien asked, pointing at the white lump. "This is your bed for tonight," Master Fu explained. He began to clean up Adrien's tea glass. Adrien looked at the futon in awe. " _Is it like a sleeping bag?"_ He wondered as he rubbed his hands across the fabric. " _It seems comfy enough."_

"It is getting late and you should get some sleep," Master Fu announced. He put the table away and took all the dishes into the kitchen. He came back with a small plate with a varied assortment of cheese on it. Adrien gave him a strange look as the old man set the cheese down near the futon. "In case you get hungry," Master Fu answered nonchalantly. Then, he disappeared into his bedroom.

Adrien laid down on the futon and put his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. Plagg came out of hiding to nibble on the cheese. Master Fu had left some camembert in the mix much to Plagg's pleasure. Plagg ate while Adrien slowly fell asleep, completely exhausted by everything that happened today.

The next morning, the sun shone through the window directly into Adrien's eyes. With a groan, he woke up and sat up. Plagg was still asleep by the plate of cheese and for a minute, Adrien was disoriented. " _Where am I?"_ He thought for a brief moment. Then he remembered after one look at himself.

Adrien put his long hair back into a ponytail and sighed. He felt gross and wanted to shower. He also needed a change of clothes. His normal ones had somehow changed to fit his new size, but they weren't clean anymore. He stood up and rolled up the futon, shoving it into the corner. He quietly picked up Plagg and hid him behind the futon so he could sleep a little longer without being discovered. He didn't want to explain to Master Fu why he had a pet cat.

The sound of something frying came from the kitchen. Adrien walked over and found Master Fu already making breakfast. He was frying an egg and there was bacon laying out on the counter. "Good morning!" Master Fu said with a bright smile. He was extremely eager for it being 6:30 in the morning. "I have made breakfast for you!"

"You didn't have to do that."

"No, I insist. You are my guest." He set a plate out in front of Adrien and slid the egg out off the pan onto it. Adrien grabbed a few slices of bacon and Master Fu poured him some tea. "This is really amazing," Adrien said as he bit into his egg. "I can't thank you enough."

"There is a change of clothes waiting for you near the shower. You can clean up when you are finished eating." The old man had really thought of everything. Adrien was extremely grateful at the man's unending kindness. He quickly finished eating his meal and then headed to the shower. The water felt good against his skin and helped ease Adrien's nerves. Once he finished showering, he found the new clothes and quickly changed into them.

Master Fu had left him a pair of loose jeans and an old t-shirt along with some socks. Adrien changed and looked at himself in the mirror. " _I still can't believe this is me. I don't think even my friends would recognize me. Will I really look this different in the future?"_ Adrien noted that he was more muscular than usual which was fine. Being a model meant that he was kind of a stringbean, but Adrien always wished he was stronger. It would easier to protect Ladybug that way.

Adrien left the bathroom and found Master Fu still cleaning up the kitchen. He offered to help, but the old man declined. He said cleaning was good for his soul. Adrien went back into the main room and played with his phone. He didn't really know what to do, so he would do exactly as Ladybug told him. Sit tight and lay low, but he would have to find a phone charger soon.

All of a sudden, there was a knock at the door. Master Fu didn't seem to notice, so Adrien got up and opened the door himself. He was greeted by a bright, young girl with familiar blue pigtails.

"Marinette!?" Adrien exclaimed, taking a step backwards. " _What is she doing here? This isn't good. What if she recognizes me? Why would she be here?"_

"That's me," Marinette smiled, giving Adrien a small wave. "Master Fu must have told you I was coming, though I didn't know he was having house guests. Is he here?"

When the door opened, Marinette had not been expecting the most beautiful human being she had ever laid eyes on to be standing right there. " _Who is he?"_ She wondered, a slight blush emerging on her face. " _He's so handsome, but in a different way than Adrien. His hair is so long and his muscles... I don't normally like guys like this, but wow..."_ She was completely enamored by him.

The man led her into the house and called for Master Fu. The old man came out of the kitchen and was delighted to see Marinette. "Ah!" He said when he saw the sweet girl's face. "I forgot you were coming. I apologize. I was busy cleaning. Please come this way. We can talk in here. Felix, if you don't mind, Marinette and I need to have a bit of a private conversation."

"That's fine," Adrien said, taking a seat on the floor. He had time to kill anyways, but he wondered what kind of private conversation Master Fu and Marinette were having. He didn't even know that the two had a relationship and Adrien knew a fair amount about Marinette at this point.

" _So his name is Felix?"_ Marinette thought as she followed Master Fu into another room. " _It's a bit plain, but it suits him. I wonder why he's here living with Master Fu. They don't look like they could be relatives and he's too young to be a friend."_

Master Fu closed the sliding door to the room he and Marinette had entered and said, "So what is wrong? You seemed very distressed over the phone last evening."

"Something's happened to Chat Noir," Marinette said quickly. She spilled the entire story to him. Master Fu was an expert on Miraculouses especially since he had one himself. Marinette had shown him Adrien's book and they were able to do more Miraculous research together. They had become good friends since then and Marinette knew she could rely on him for anything, miraculous related or not.

"He got hit by an akuma attack and it turned him into an adult of around twenty-five years old," Marinette explained. "But because I forgot to use my lucky charm, I defeated the akuma without using the miraculous cure and now he's stuck like that. Is there anyway to get him back to normal?"

Master Fu thought to himself for a moment then replied, "Well, I believe if you use the miraculous cure after fighting another akuma and properly use your lucky charm, you should be able to return him to normal. That is the nature of the cure."

"Is it that easy?" Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. She thought it was going to be hard, but the solution was rather simple.

"It is," Master Fu nodded. "But you must wait for Hawkmoth to unleash another akuma before you can help Chat Noir and we do not know how long until that happens. Chat Noir must remain on his guard as should you."

"You're right, but at least I know what I can do. That makes me feel so much better. I'll let Chat Noir know what you said. I think he'll feel better now too." Marinette stood up to leave and a small, red head poked out of her handbag. "You can say goodbye, Tikki," Marinette giggled. "You don't have to hide."

Tikki came flying out and gave Master Fu a kiss on the forehead. "Thank you for helping us! I was just as worried as Marinette!" She smiled. "And say hi to Wayzz for me. I don't where he could be hiding..."

"Due to my new house guest, he has been keeping out of sight," Master Fu explained. "But I will tell him what you said." Tikki grinned and then returned to her purse. Master Fu walked Marinette to the door. She saw Felix sitting on the ground, playing with his phone. Even doing such a simple action, he was incredibly attractive. Her heart fluttered for a moment.

"Thank you for helping me," Marinette bowed as she prepared to leave. Then she turned to "Felix" and said, "It was a pleasure meeting you too, Felix." Adrien looked up, responding to his new name. He waved at Marinette and gave her a gentle smile. He had never noticed before, but Marinette was astonishingly beautiful. The sun reflected off her hair just right and there was a certain shine and passion in her eyes. Adrien wondered why just now he had noticed this.

Marinette left the house, leaving Master Fu and Adrien to themselves. Master Fu saw Adrien playing his phone and frowned. "We must find you something to do," Master Fu said, grabbing Adrien by the arm. "You'll waste away sitting here doing nothing. What a grown-up like you needs is some good hard work."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we're going to find you a job."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter: A certain bakery hires a new employee


	3. Part-Time Baker

Master Fu grabbed an old fishing hat and put in on his balding head to shield himself from the sun. Adrien waited for the man to get ready and then they left the house. He followed closely behind Master Fu as they left the neighborhood. Like before, Adrien got multiple glances from old ladies who wished that they were young again. However, this time he did a better job of responding. He would wave or say "hello", causing the old ladies to whip themselves into a frenzy. They all found him incredibly handsome.

"Where are we going?" Adrien asked, noticing that he was entering the familiar part of Paris. The part where he had fought yesterday's akuma was coming into view. He recognized the familiar park where the statue of him and Ladybug was.

"You'll see..." Master Fu replied, not wanting to answer the youth's questions right away. The man functioned with an air of mystery that Adrien did not appreciate. He didn't like being out of the loop.

The pair stopped walking in front of a familiar bakery storefront.

"We're here."

" _Isn't this the bakery Marinette's family owns?"_ Adrien wondered, looking at the sign. " _Why would he be taking me here of all places? We already got breakfast..."_

Adrien followed Master Fu inside the shop. The air was filled with the aroma of sweets and freshly baked bread. Adrien's stomach growled even though he had already eaten breakfast. Apparently having a bigger body meant you needed to eat more food. It felt like he hadn't eaten anything all day!

" _Maybe I will end up buying something,"_ Adrien said, eyeing some lemon tarts that looked like just came out of the oven. His stomach gave another hungry growl. " _I'll definitely have to buy something."_

"Mr. Fu, how wonderful to see you!" Marinette's mother came rushing out from behind the counter. She bent down and gave the man a big hug. "Why did you come by? I thought you normally came only on Fridays. I do have your usual order if you want it. Freshly baked too." Sabine gave the man a wink and pointed back at the display counter. "Free of charge for you of course."

"No thank you," Master Fu politely declined. "I have actually come to talk to you about this young man here." He gestured to Adrien who stepped forward and nodded. "Good morning, ma'am," Adrien said in a quiet tone. He had met Marinette's mother before, but as his younger self. It felt weird to reintroduce himself.

"I was wondering if you needed any help part time," Master Fu continued. "He's looking for some work while he stays with me. He's been in a bit of a rough situation and might only be around for a few days, but he's a hardworker. I thought if anyone could use him it would be you, Sabine."

Sabine smiled and clapped her hands together. "Of course! We'd be delighted to have his assistance even if it is just for a few days. We're always so busy here and with Marinette going back to school tomorrow, we'll be down an extra hand." She turned to Adrien and shook his hand vigorously. "What's your name, young man?"

"Felix..." Adrien replied, still wincing at the name. "It's nice to meet you, Felix," Marinette's mother said. "I'm Sabine and I'm the wife of the head baker here. We run this place together with our daughter, Marinette. You might see her running in and out of here throughout the day, so don't be alarmed. She might even drop by to help this afternoon. She's a very lovely girl."

" _Don't worry, I know Marinette,"_ Adrien chuckled. "I'll leave him to you then," Master Fu said as he headed towards the door. "I'll see you later, Felix. Feel free to bring home any leftovers." The old man laughed at his joke and then left with a satisfied grin.

"Let's get you started right away!" Sabine rolled up her sleeves and then hurried into the back room. She came back with a long, pink apron. "Sorry, it's the only color we have, but you'll be glad you're wearing it. Flour tends to make a mess. You'll want to keep your hair pulled back like that too." Adrien took the apron and draped it over him. He tied a knot in the back and asked, "How do I look?"

"Like a true baker," Sabine laughed. Something about Felix felt very familiar to her almost as if they had met before. Sabine knew she hadn't though. She would've remembered a handsome face like his. She guided him to the back room and pulled out several globs of dough the needed to be kneaded.

"Do you know how to knead?"

Adrien nodded his head. He had a vague idea of what kneading was. "Good," Sabine sighed. "Because I don't and I was afraid I'd have to go get Tom. It's his special skill and I've never been very good at it. I don't have enough arm muscle, but it looks like you'll do just fine." She poked Adrien's arm muscle and laughed. "You seem like a strong boy."

Sabine heard the bell ring at the front entrance and she said, "Oops! Sounds like a customer. I'll leave you to this then. I'll check on you in a bit." She hurried back up front to serve a customer and Adrien looked down at the heaps of dough.

" _I can do this!"_ He thought confidently. " _It doesn't seem that hard."_ Adrien cracked his knuckles and began to knead the dough, letting his fingers run through the gooey substance. " _This is kinda fun!"_ Adrien smiled. He kneaded each heap of dough and before he knew it, he was finished. His arms were a little sore afterwards, but if felt good to do some hard work.

"I'm finished," Adrien said, poking his head out of the backroom. The bakery had calmed down since it was after the breakfast rush. Sabine was straightening the displays when a large man came into the bakery. He was carrying a giant bag of sugar over his back and he lifted it like it was a feather.

"Oh, you're back!" Sabine smiled as she ran over to the man who Adrien recognized as Marinette's father. She gave him a hug which he somehow returned despite holding the sugar. "While you were gone, Mr. Fu stopped by and he gave us this young man." Sabine pointed at Adrien who waved back awkwardly. "He'll be helping out part time for a few days. He just finished kneading the dough, so I'll leave him to you. It seems like he did a good job too. He might justs give you a run for your money, Tom."

Tom nodded and approached Adrien with a smile. "Welcome to our bakery," he grinned, giving the boy a pat on the back. The strength of the pat almost knocked Adrien over. Tom set the bag of sugar on the ground and admired Adrien's dough kneading job. "Sabine was right. This is pretty good," Tom said. He picked up the dough and put them back on their racks. "We'll let them rise and then we can bake them tomorrow. Right now we should get started on an upcoming cake order. Can you decorate a cake...err?"

"Felix," Adrien said, filling in the blanks. "I've never done it before, but I'll do my best."

"That's the hard-working attitude I like to see. Follow me." Tom lead Adrien to a giant table where dozens of types of frosting and decorations were laid out. Tom took three different layers of cake out the giant freezer and set them on the table. "Just take one of these knives and slather frosting over the cake. I can even it out once you're finished. This will go a lot faster with two sets of hands."

"I've never seen you around here before," Tom said, starting idle conversation. "I thought I knew everyone in the neighborhood."

"I'm new..." Adrien lied. "I'm staying with Master Fu for a while."

"Fresh out of university I assume?"

"Yeah, you could say that."

"I remember those times." Tom gave a hearty laugh. "I jumped around from job to job until I finally earned enough money to open this place. Without Sabine though, I never could've done it. She's the light of my life besides my daughter of course. Do you have a special someone?" Tom wiggled his eyebrows, prying for more details. He was the type of boss that wanted to be best friends with his workers. A strong relationship was essential for a good work environment.

"I do," Adrien smiled, thinking of Ladybug. "I don't know if she likes me yet, but we'll see."

"I can't imagine any girl turning down a handsome man like you."

"Thanks sir."

Adrien liked Mr. Dupain-Cheng. He was kind-hearted and funny. Adrien instantly felt at home working in the bakery. The atmosphere was warm, not just from the oven, but from the love of its owners. They had worked hard to build the bakery into what it was today. Anyone who walked into the bakery could feel the welcoming vibes.

There was a loud door slam from the back room near the area where the bakery connected to the Dupain-Cheng household. "I'm back!" A sweet voice rang out through the bakery. Adrien heard footsteps and suddenly Marinette appeared in the doorway. She looked at Adrien with wide-eyes.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. Secretly, she was thinking, " _Well, this day just keeps getting better and better. First I figured out how to cure Chat Noir and now Felix's here."_ Marinette felt a slight twinge of guilt. Her strange attraction towards Felix conflicted with her feelings for Adrien, but she brushed it off as nothing more than a silly crush. It was normal to feel at least a little something towards a man that beautiful. It didn't come anywhere near rivaling her feelings for Adrien.

"I work here now," Adrien said in a soft voice. "I just got hired this morning."

"Have you two met before?" Tom asked, slightly confused. "Felix, this is my daughter, Marinette. Marinette, this is our new part-time worker, Felixl. He's been a hard worker already. I think he might even be better than you."

"Papa!" Marinette gasped, pretending to be insulted. Then she giggled and said, "That's okay. I was never that good at baking anyways. I always just end up making a mess. Anyways, I'm going upstairs to work on homework now." She kissed her father on the forehead and gave Adrien a smile. "Work hard you two!"

Marinette's presence sent Adrien spinning. She smelled overly sweet like sugar and she was even more beautiful than when he saw her this morning. Her lips were plump and pink. Her laugh gave him goosebumps and her eyes were intoxicating. He couldn't pull his gaze away. His heart dropped when she left to go to her bedroom. He wanted to grab her and talk to her more. He didn't want her to leave.

" _Woah... Why am I acting so weird all of a sudden?"_ Adrien wondered. He put his hand over his heart to calm himself. " _It's just Marinette. I see her almost everyday and this never happens. Why am I getting possessive all of a sudden? I can't seem to calm down."_

"That's my little girl," Tom remarked proudly. "She always has an energetic spring in her step, but watch out. She can bite when she wants despite that cute face."

" _I know."_ Adrien had seen Marinette take Chloe head on in fights and win. The girl had a secret fire that burned brightly, but she never showed it when Adrien was around. With him, she was quiet and reserved unless something else upset her. They were good friends, but Adrien felt like he never got to see the real Marinette.

As soon as Tom left to talk to Sabine, Plagg popped his head out of Adrien's shirt. Adrien's new clothing style wasn't as comfy as the old one, but it would have to do. "So Marinette, huh?" Plagg winked with a devious smile.

"What are you talking about?"

"Kid, don't play dumb. I could hear your heartbeat race when she came in. It sounds like someone has a little crush."

"A crush? She's my friend, Plagg. I'll admit I felt a bit funny when she was around, but that's never happened before. It must be because I'm stuck in this body. It doesn't mean anything."

"And I thought you were the most hormonal when you were a teenager..."

"Shut up! Don't make this weird. I'm already uncomfortable enough as is. I don't need you making things worse." Adrien heard Tom coming back and shoved Plagg's head down. "Were you talking to someone?" Tom asked with a confused look. Adrien shook his head and said, "Nope! It must be your imagination."

Meanwhile, Marinette was upstairs in her bedroom, thinking about the bakery's newest part-time worker. She was lying on her bed, replaying her conversation with him over and over in her head. "Tikki, he's just so... so..."

"Handsome? Gorgeous? Breathtaking? I know. You told me already," Tikki giggled. She was blushing too. "Are you cheating on Adrien?"

"Of course not! Adrien is even more beautiful than Felix. I love Adrien with all my heart. He's kind and smart and handsome and..."

"Where were you going with this?"

"My point is that I still love Adrien, but there's nothing wrong with admitting that another boy is good-looking."

"Extremely good-looking..."

"Yes," Marinette blushed. "Extremely good-looking. What are the chances that he would work here? We met for the first time this morning and now he's back again. Should I go talk to him? What if he thinks I'm annoying? I'm probably just a little girl to him."

"He'll like you, Marinette!" Tikki pipped. "Everyone always does. And he reminds me of Adrien. He has the same kind aura. He'll warm up to you in no time."

"Now that you mention it, he reminds me of Adrien too. They have similar green eyes and smile, but Felix is way older and scruffier. It would be like if Adrien aged ten years and decided to grow his hair out. I don't ever see that happening though. Adrien is wonderful just the way he is. It's hard to imagine him all grown up."

"I can't imagine you grown up, Marinette." Tikki tried to imagine what Marinette would look like in the future. "I don't think I'd change very much," Marinette laughed. "I've had the same face since preschool and I've been this tall since the fifth grade. There isn't much left to change."

The only thing that ever changed about Marinette was her hairstyle. Last she, she wore her hair up in a bun everyday, but now she was a fan of the pigtails. She couldn't really change her hair anymore either. It was a part of Ladybug's iconic look. She was stuck with it.

"I just hope that Adrien isn't a fan of mature girls," Marinette sighed, blowing a piece of hair out her face. "You of all people know that I'll always be like a little kid at heart."

"I wouldn't want you any other way!" Tikki smiled as she gave Marinette a tiny nudge. "I can't imagine you being serious all the time. Plus that would make being Ladybug very boring, all work and no play."

"Speaking of Ladybug," Marinette said suddenly. "I should probably send Chat Noir a message and let him know that I found a way to return him to normal. The poor cat is probably having a rough day. It'll be good for him to finally hear some good news."

Marinette made sure her trapdoor was shut tight and then transformed into Ladybug. She unhooked her yo-yo and dialed up Chat Noir. She stared at the dorky picture of his face that was his contact screen as she waited for the call to go through. He never picked up and Ladybug frowned. " _He must be busy,"_ she thought. " _It is the middle of the day. I'll leave a message."_

Ladybug held the yo-yo to her ear and started to speak. "Hey, it's me. I figured out a way to turn you back to normal. I just have to use my miraculous cure again, so all we need to do is wait for Hawkmoth to unleash another akuma. Until then, sit tight like I said. I... uhh hope everything's going okay. Talk to you soon and call me if you have any problems."

With a sigh, she hung up her yo-yo and quickly detransformed. Tikki flew out the earrings and gave Marinette a sad smile. "He'll be fine," Tikki reassured the blue-haired girl. "He's Chat Noir! I've seen him take on akumas three times his size! He can handle this."

"That's what I keep trying to tell myself, Tikki, but I have this nagging feeling that he couldn't sit still. He's probably out there unnecessary creating problems for himself. Not to mention, it must be scary to suddenly be an adult. It's like the whole world changes..."

Downstairs, Adrien had finished helping Tom frost the cake. They had taken a break for lunch, but they were back at it again. Tom smoothed out all the frosting layers and then they were ready to decorate. "This is a fairly simple cake," Tom explained. He carefully picked up a flower shaped out of fondant. Tom had prepared dozens of them the night prior. "Just stick these flowers along the lines of where the cake layers meet. Once that's finished, you can add the topper and I'll do the piping."

Adrien tried to pick up a flower and almost dropped it. His fingers were bigger than he expected and it was hard to move small objects. He was afraid that he would crush them. Eventually, Adrien got the hang of his new appendages and started putting the flowers on the cake. It was coming along nicely. Tom worked on the other detail work as Adrien worked. Within an hour or two, they had completely finished.

"All done!" Tom remarked proudly. "That's your first cake and it's very well done. You should be proud, Felix."

Adrien looked at his work in awe. He did feel proud. He had never made something like this before. It was the first time the boy had done any real work. Of course he had been a model, but that didn't count. All he did was stare at a camera, make faces, and try on someone else's clothes. This right here... this was real work and Adrien was proud to be a part of it.

"This needs to be delivered in thirty minutes, so I'm going to load it into the car and head off," Tom said, boxing up the cake. "Talk to Sabine and see if she needs any help. You'll probably be gone by the time I get back, so I'll tell you now. That was a good first day, son. Welcome aboard. We're lucky to have someone like you working here."

Tom took the cake outside while Adrien went to see Sabine. He asked if there was any more work for him to do. "I don't think so," Sabine answered. "It's almost closing time and we have everything done for tonight. But would you be able to come in tomorrow, say 5:00 or 6:00? That's when most of the work gets done."

"I'll be there then!" Adrien had never woken that up early for anything, but for the Dupain-Chengs, he would gladly do it. It was his first day on the job and he felt like he belonged. Truthfully, he felt a little sad that he would have to leave them when he returned to normal, but he could still always visit the bakery. It gave him an excuse to see Marinette too.

Marinette. That was something that was still racking his mind. Adrien couldn't figure out while she made him feel weird all of a sudden. He attributed it to his transformation, but that still wasn't a good explanation. " _Is it a sign that my feelings for Ladybug are going to fade in the future?"_ Adrien worried, his face turning pale. " _That's impossible. I promised to love my lady forever. I can't imagine giving her up."_

"Felix, are you okay?" Sabine asked as she noticed the boy's expression twist. "Oh, it's nothing," Adrien said quickly, snapping back to reality. "I zoned out for a moment. I'll be there tomorrow morning, no problem."

Sabine pulled a small envelope out of her apron pocket. "I know it isn't normal for people to pay by the day, but I want you to have this for now. You deserve it. Mr. Fu mentioned over the phone a little while ago that this would probably be your first real paycheck."

She handed Adrien the envelope and he carefully opened it. It was filled with his day's pay, something he hadn't even considered yet. It felt good to hold the envelop in his hands and see his hard-earned money. As a model, most of the money went off into a bank account that his father controlled. Adrien never touched or even saw any of it.

"Thank you, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng," Adrien nodded. "This is really generous of you."

"Go out and get yourself something nice," Sabine laughed. "Or maybe get something for that girl of yours." Adrien's faced heated up and his cheeks turned red. Sabine laughed even harder and said, "Sorry. I overheard yours and Tom's conversation. I wish you the best of luck." She pinched his cheek playfully and winked. "I have faith she'll come around."

" _I wish that were true,"_ Adrien sighed. " _Too bad the girl I love is Ladybug, the most stubborn, yet wonderful woman in Paris. Maybe I should pick her up a present. It might make her feel better after what happened. She probably feels guilty about it. That's so like her."_

Adrien put the envelope in his pocket and left the bakery. He asked Sabine to tell Marinette he said good-bye. She happily obliged. Adrien walked back to Master Fu's with a smile on his face. Today had been a long, but rewarding day.

Once they were far enough away, Plagg stuck his head out of Adrien's shirt and said, "By the way, Ladybug called when you were working."

"Why did you wait until now to tell me that?" Adrien groaned, face palming. He had been waiting to hear from Ladybug since they parted ways. Plagg shrugged and said, "You were really into cake decorating. I didn't want to bother you."

"Just transform me."

Adrien turned into Chat Noir and slipped away under the cover of dark. He took out his baton and extended it. There was one new message from Ladybug.

"Hey, it's me. I figured out a way to turn you back to normal. I just have to use my miraculous cure again, so all we need to do is wait for Hawkmoth to unleash another akuma. Until then, sit tight like I said and I... uhh hope everything's going okay. Talk to you soon and call me if you have any problems."

" _I knew she'd figure it out,"_ Chat Noir sighed,a flood of relief washing over him. He wasn't going to be stuck like this forever. " _For the first time, I actually wish Hawkmoth would send out another akuma. I want to be back at home in my own bed. Not to mention I'm going to have to miss school tomorrow because of this. I can't really afford to miss anymore days."_

Unfortunately, Adrien had no choice. He was at Hawkmoth's mercy. Until someone is Paris was angry enough to become an akuma, Adrien was stuck being an adult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, Marinette and Adrien go out on a fun, little outing


	4. An Afternoon with Marinette

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another big update, so I hope the wait was worth it. I also went back and fixed some of the weird formatting with the last chapter. Everything should be good to go now! :)

The next morning, Adrien woke up at an ungodly hour. The sun wasn't even up yet which meant that it was far too early for any normal human being to be awake. Still, he managed to set an alarm on his phone and stirred himself awake. He took a quick shower and changed into new clothes. While working at the bakery the previous day, Master Fu had gone to the store and bought Adrien a new wardrobe which was greatly appreciated. After changing, Adrien made himself breakfast (Master Fu had given him permission to grab whatever he liked from the kitchen), grabbed some cheese for Plagg, and headed out.

He arrived at the bakery at 5:00 on the dot. The lights were all off except a faint glow coming from the back. Adrien pushed the bakery door and found it unlocked. "Hello?" He said, unsure if anyone was awake. He didn't want to wake up the sleeping family though, so he kept his voice low.

"Good morning, Felix!" Tom smiled as he emerged from the backroom. "It's nice to see you so bright and early. Put your stuff down and you can come help me with the baking. The morning rush is going to start in a hour and I still have thirty loaves to bake and need to finish the muffins."

Adrien grabbed his apron and got to work. He helped make the muffin mix and pour them into tins while Tom took loaves of bread in and out of the oven. Between the two of them, they were making good progress. It was only 5:30 by the time Adrien started to get tired. Baking was harder work than he thought. It required a surprising amount of stamina and running off less than eight hours of sleep didn't help either.

From upstairs, Adrien could hear the rest of the Dupain-Chengs begin to wake up. He heard someone running around, cursing themselves for being late. " _That must be Marinette,"_ Adrien chuckled to himself. " _She's always coming to class just a few seconds late. She's also leaving in the middle all the time. Not to mention, she also leaves a lot at the end of class too. Her attendance record might be the only one worse than mine."_

Sabine came down and opened the front of the shop. She set up all the baked goods, arranged the displays, and turned on the lights. The minute they opened the bakery, people came flooding in. Adrien hadn't been at the bakery for the breakfast rush yet. He was amazed at the sheer number of people that Sabine served with ease. She remembered many of the customers' usual orders and had everything prepared ahead of time.

"Mama! Papa! I'm off!" Marinette came rushing downstairs while trying to put on one of her shoes. Adrien watched her dash around the bakery to kiss both her parents. She came into the back room and gave her father a kiss on his forehead. Adrien raised an eyebrow and said in a flirty tone, "Do I get one too, princess?" He cursed himself directly after.

" _Way to sound like a creep,"_ Adrien moaned. " _You're not Chat Noir right now and currently you look like a twenty-five year old man hitting on a fifteen year old girl. You're lucky you didn't just get fired."_

"So you're a flirt?" Marinette giggled as she gave Adrien a pat on the head. Even such simple contact caused him to blush. "But because you work here, I'll consider you part of the family, so here you go." Marinette had to stand on her tiptoes to reach Adrien's face. She gave him a small peck on the cheek, catching Adrien completely off guard.

" _He can dish it out, but can't take it,"_ Marinette smiled as she watched Felix recoil in shock. " _I wish I had the confidence to go up to Adrien and do that. Maybe I should ask Felix to be my practice partner. I don't think I'd mind that one bit."_ The poor boy tried to respond, but could barely manage to utter a word without stuttering.

"That's enough, Marinette," Tom said in a slightly scolding, but also joking tone. "Felix needs to get back to work and you need to get to school. Here's a muffin and a couple cookies for later. Be safe, okay?"

"Always, Papa! I love you."

Marinette walked to school in a joyful mood. She couldn't wait to tell Alya about Felix. Marinette was sure she would be jealous. Though Alya liked Nino, she was always down to hear about cute boys.

Marinette walked into her classroom and her eyes targeted Alya. "Guess what?" Marinette said, taking a seat behind her friend. Alya gave her a questioning glare and replied, "What? This doesn't have anything to do with Adrien, does it? Because then I don't think I'm as interested as you."

"For once, it doesn't."

"Then spill it. I'm excited now."

Marinette pulled out her phone and showed Alya a secret picture of Felix she had snapped when he wasn't looking. "Who is this?" Alya exclaimed, taking the phone out of Marinette's hands. "Did Adonis drop by? Where did you get this photo? Who is he?" Alya jokingly fanned herself with her hand and whistled.

"He's the new part-time worker my parents hired," Marinette explained. "His name is Felix."

"Girl, if things don't work out with Adrien, that is definitely your next best option. Wow, just look at those arms..."

"Alya, he's like ten years older than me. That's super weird."

"Love has no age," Alya laughed. "But seriously, if you don't want him, I'll take him off your hands. If Nino doesn't shape up here soon and ask me out, I'm going to be in the market for a new crush."

Nino whipped his head around after hearing his name, removed his headphones and said, "What about me?"

"Nothing you clueless dolt," Alya sighed with a roll of her eyes. She handed him Marinette's phone and pointed at the picture. "Anyways check out the new hottie working at the bakery."

"Very impressive," Nino said with wide eyes. "He kinda looks like Adrien if he let loose for a while and was like fifteen years older."

"Speaking of Adrien, where is he?" Marinette asked. She looked at the empty seat in front of her. It wasn't abnormal for Adrien to be absent, but Marinette always felt uneasy when he wasn't there. Due to his strained relationship with his father, Marinette was always afraid Adrien might get pulled out of school without notice and be gone from her life forever.

"He texted me late last night and said that he's away doing another photoshoot," Nino sighed. "He doesn't know when he'll be back, so I have to collect all his papers and give him my notes. Man, now I actually have to take notes and pay attention!"

"I'm so sorry that you're going to have to actually learn in school. What a concept," Alya said sarcastically. She took back Marinette's phone and handed it to the girl. "Don't let Chloe know you've got that boy sneaking around or she'll be on him faster than you can blink. You want to keep a cutie like him to yourself."

"I'll try and keep him a secret," Marinette giggled. " _Great. Now I have two secrets to keep. Alya's right. If Chloe finds out, she'll never stop harassing me. Good thing she never comes by the bakery."_

The first half of the day dragged by, but eventually it was time for lunch. Marinette rushed home and was greeted by her parents and Felix. He was sweeping the bakery which used to be her old job. " _Thank god for part-timers,"_ Marinette smiled with a silent cheer. " _That means less work for me!"_

"Oh, Marinette!" Sabine said as she looked up at the clock. "It's really lunchtime already. Why don't you and Felix go get something to eat at that cafe down the street? Show him around a bit. The poor boy has worked hard this morning and needs a good lunch. He's too thin for someone his age."

"I'm fine, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng," Adrien said, setting down the broom. He was starving, but didn't want to seem needy. Sabine shook her head. "No, no. I insist." She pulled some money out of the cash register and handed it to Marinette. "This should be plenty for the both of you. Now go out and enjoy yourselves. I'm sure you'll have fun."

Marinette took the money and looked up at Felix. "Shall we go?" She said, opening the door for him. Sighing, Adrien removed his apron and walked out the door. "Lead the way, Ms. Marinette!" He bowed. Marinette blushed, not used to such blatant flirting as Marinette. She expected it when she was Ladybug, but only when it was coming from Chat Noir. It wasn't normal for boys to flirt with "normal" Marinette.

"The cafe is right this way," Marinette said shyly. The pair walked side by side with Adrien being the closest to the road. He tried to stay a few inches away from Marinette. When they were leaving, he had accidentally bumped into her arm and his entire body felt like it was on fire. He needed to get control of himself and figure out why Marinette was making him feel this way otherwise this wasn't going to work.

"What made you want to come work at the bakery?" Marinette asked, looking up at him. " _Mama and Papa haven't really told me anything about Felix other than his name. I wonder why he decided to come work in our little bakery. If he really wanted, he could be a model or something. He doesn't really look like the baking type either."_

"A friend recommend I get a job and sent me there. Lucky for me, your mom hired me on the spot, which is great since I don't really have any credentials," Adrien said, twisting the story a little bit. "I really like it there though. I'm glad I got the job. I never knew working in a bakery could be so much fun."

"It's nice to have someone else working. It makes my life a lot easier. I used to be the one that did all the sweeping, but I didn't get paid at all!"

They arrived at the cafe and took a seat at an outdoor table covered by a giant umbrella. The shade helped protect them from the bright sun. A waiter quickly came out to serve them. "What can I get for you two?" He asked politely.

"I'll have a water and your soup of the day," Marinette smiled as she handed the waiter her menu. "I'll have the same thing," Adrien nodded, returning his menu as well. The waiter smiled and said, "Would you two like the couple's discount?"

"Oh, we're not dating!" Marinette said quickly. " _Of course we aren't dating! He's like way older than me, not to mention out of my league."_ She was a little flattered though that the waiter even entertained the possibility of her being this handsome man's girlfriend.

At the mention of the word "girlfriend", Adrien's heart clenched. Marinette quickly dispelled the waiter's misconception and sent him on his way. "I'm sorry," Marinette said, biting her lip. "It must be embarrassing to be toting around a kid like me. You probably go on dates with older girls all the time."

"It's not embarrassing!" Adrien had a little too much emphasis in his voice. "I uhh... I don't mind at all. I should be the one apologizing. I can't believe he thought I was your boyfriend."

"Yeah, talk about weird, right?"

Adrien thought it wasn't _that_ weird. Marinette was a pretty girl with a great personality. It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility if she was dating someone. There was a sudden spark in Adrien's mind.

"Do you have a boyfriend, Marinette?" He asked, his voice slightly shaky. " _Why did I ask her that? I keep getting too personal, but I can't calm down when I'm around her. It's like how I feel around Ladybug, but with Marinette."_ Adrien cursed his heart, wishing that it would behave.

"I don't have one," Marinette sighed with a starstruck look. "But I do have someone I like..."

"Who?"

"Promise you won't laugh at me. It's kinda embarrassing..."

"I promise."

"There's this boy that sits in front of me at school, Adrien Agreste, and I've been crushing on him for a while."

Adrien almost choked on air. " _Me?"_ He thought in shock, sitting straight up in his chair. " _Marinette has a crush on me? I never even noticed. I thought she was better than that. Besides Nino, I thought she was one of the few people I thought didn't like me because of my status or looks. No one would like me except for those reasons. I guess I was wrong about-"_

"He's so kind and sweet," Marinette continued. She took on a lovesick expression. "Even though he has a rough relationship with his father, he's always trying his hardest. I can tell he works so hard to please his dad. And whenever I get down on myself, he's always there to cheer me back up. We've become closer friends recently, but there's still a big gap between us. I wish I could talk to him more."

As Marinette continued to rave about him, Adrien felt a discomfort grow in his stomach. He felt guilty. She thought she was confiding in a friend about her secret crush, but she was actually telling the boy she loved himself. " _If Marinette ever finds out that I'm me, she'll kill me,"_ Adrien groaned. " _I'm not going to be able to play it cool around her anymore either. I had no idea she felt that way."_

Adrien felt a sense of satisfaction knowing that he was Marinette's crush though. At Marinette's words, his skin felt hot and he wanted to lean over and whisper in her ear, but he restrained himself. He noticed that he was doing that a lot lately. Impulsive actions would enter his head it took a significant amount of willpower to hold himself back. He was watching her wave her hands as she spoke and resisted the urge to grab them and kiss them.

The waiter came out and set their meals in front of them. Marinette took a sip of water and began eating her soup. "It's delicious!" She smiled, taking another spoonful. "Try it!" Adrien took a bite of his own soup and was blown away. It was delicious. The two continued to eat and chatted over their meal. Adrien was able to move the topic away from Marinette's love life though it never completely left his mind.

"Did you have a job before working at the bakery?" Marinette asked as she ate.

"I used to be a model."

"That sounds nice. Why did you give it up?"

Adrien was silent for a moment. Being a model wasn't Adrien's true passion. He only did it to please his father and never found much enjoyment in it. Adrien expected to be a model for the rest of his life or until he was able to inherit his father's company. He never considered having another job option like working at the bakery.

"It got tiring and I found that I didn't really enjoy it. It wasn't for me. I just did it for my father."

"Do you like working at the bakery more?"

"Way more!"

"You know, the boy I like is also a model. He's the best in the business, but you might give him a run for his money. Too bad you quit."

"Y-Yeah... too bad."

"You'll have to show me some pictures some time. I bet they look really good."

"Only if you promise to show me some old pictures of you."

Marinette blushed at the request. " _Why would he want to see pictures of me?"_ she wondered. " _I'm nothing special and I'm especially not a model."_

"You don't have to if you don't want to!" Adrien exclaimed, almost knocking over his soup bowl. He didn't mean to make Marinette uncomfortable. He only wanted to get to know her a little better. The question had come out unconsciously just like so many other things. Adrien was digging himself a deeper and deeper hole.

"I'll see what I can find," Marinette finally smiled, mindlessly stirring her soup. "My mom took a lot of pictures of me as a kid, so there's probably a lot lying around. I've never really showed them off to anyone before. Only Alya's ever seen them. She's my best friend, by the way."

"That's nice," Adrien nodded, thinking about the how close Alya and Marinette were. He was always jealous of their closeness, but he had Nino. "My friend N-" He paused for a moment and then continued, "My friend's not living nearby right now, so I don't get to see him that often."

"That's too bad. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't see Alya. She's the only person that keeps me sane especially when it comes to Adrien."

" _And we've doubled back to this again,"_ Adrien thought in exasperation. " _Just hearing her say my name gives me chills. I gotta calm down."_ In order to distract himself, Adrien tried to eat his soup and let Marinette carry on the conversation.

Once they were finished eating, Marinette left some money behind to pay for lunch and prepared to return to school. "Thank you for joining me for lunch," she smiled. "I had a really good time. It was great to learn more about you especially since I'll be seeing you everyday from now on when you come to work."

"Same here. Would you... umm... like me to take you back to school?"

"What?"

"Well, I just thought that I wanted to talk to you for a little longer and I'd like to see your school too. Is that too much to ask? It's fine if you don't want me to."

Marinette shook her head. "Of course not! I'll show you the way. My school is nothing special, but I can show you around a bit." Adrien felt oddly nervous about returning to school in his current form. He would look like a stranger even though he was actually a student.

"So did you grow up here?" Marinette asked as she escorted Adrien to her school. Adrien nodded and said, "I've lived in the area for a while. I've even stopped by the school a couple times."

"Oh, you have? Did you go there when you were my age?"

" _I still go there,"_ Adrien thought. In response to Marinette's question, he lied and said that he had. "That was a few years ago, so I don't remember too much." He hoped that would stop Marinette from asking too many questions. He didn't have any answers and was afraid of getting caught in his lies.

"Here we are," Marinette said, stopping at the steps to her school. Students were coming back from lunch and Adrien watched his classmates go inside without giving him a second thought. A new sense of loneliness crept over him.

"Yo, Marinette!" Both Adrien and Marinette looked up and saw Nino and Alya walking towards them. "Is this the new part-timer?" Alya asked with an eyebrow wiggle. She was impressed after seeing the man in the flesh. He was a thousand times more attractive than in the picture.

"Felix, this is Alya and Nino. They're my classmates and Alya's the one I talked about before." Marinette introduced the man to her friends. Adrien watched Nino stare him down carefully. " _Nino, it's me!"_ Adrien wanted to scream. Not even his best friend showed any signs of recognizing him.

"He doesn't really seem like your type, Mari," Nino said after a moment. "He has a couple of Adrien's qualities, but I didn't think you were a fan of the hipster type. I thought you more into 'delicate' guys."

" _Hipster?"_ Adrien wondered. His hair was tied back in a ponytail and his clothes were a little baggy, but that didn't make him a hipster. Maybe it was the fact that he had stubble all over his chin. Adrien didn't know the first thing about shaving and decided not to bother with it. He figured he would just cut himself. Hopefully, it wouldn't be permanent.

"Nino!" Marinette groaned, giving the boy an eyeroll. "He's not my boyfriend. He just works for my parents. Besides, you know I like you-know-who!"

"He isn't here today," Alya laughed, giving Marinette a slap on the back. "You can say his name. We all know. It's not a secret since you're not very good at hiding your feelings. I think Adrien is the only one oblivious enough to not notice."

" _Excuse me for being oblivious,"_ Adrien thought with a huff. He was kind of offended. "I should be heading back," Adrien announced. "Marinette, your parents probably need some help. Thanks for lunch! I had a great time." A part of him didn't want to leave her, but he couldn't be around Nino and Alya any longer. It made him feel uncomfortable.

"And who do we have here, Sabrina?" A new voice joined the conversation. Adrien turned and saw Chloe Bourgeois standing behind him with Sabrina by her side. The spoiled blonde was chewing a piece of gum and had her eyes on Adrien. She walked up to him and put her hand on his chest.

"Hi, I'm Chloe Bourgeois," she smiled, introducing herself. "My daddy is the mayor of Paris. Would you like to go out some time? I like the look of you. Sabrina, give him my number." Sabrina pulled out a white card with Chloe's phone number on it. Adrien took it just to appease the girl.

"What's your name?"

Adrien could smell Chloe's overly minty breath as she leaned in closer to him. "I'm Felix..." Adrien said, slowly backing away. He didn't want to deal with Chloe right now. Even as an adult, she was still pining for him.

"Chloe, leave him alone," Marinette sighed. She put herself between Adrien and Chloe and put her hands on her hips. "Felix has someplace he needs to be and probably doesn't want you bothering him. Why don't you go to class?"

"And how do you know him Mari-trash? A guy like him would never be caught dead with a girl like you."

"How would you know that?" Adrien shouted, entering the fight. " _I'm not gonna let Chloe put Marinette down like that,"_ he thought angrily. " _Looking like this, I don't have to be afraid to speak out and stand up to her. There's nothing she can do to stop me. I'll protect Marinette."_

"I prefer Marinette over a snobby brat like you. At least people actually like her," Adrien spat. "Maybe if you tried changing that bitchy attitude of yours, people would show you some respect. I don't think anyone would be caught with a girl like _you._ "

Chloe turned red and quickly turned her head, her ponytail almost smacking Adrien in the face. "Don't get cocky just because I showed you a little attention, creep!" she shouted. "There are tons of boys who would love to go out with me. I don't need someone like you!" Though she tried to seem unaffected, Adrien's words had been a big blow to her ego. People rarely talked back to her like that.

"Fine by me," Adrien smirked, beginning to take his leave. "I'm going back to work." He stormed away, secretly satisfied with himself for standing up. For years he had gone along with everything Chloe told him. He watched her bully his classmates and make fun of his friends. After standing up to her, Adrien realized he liked the feeling. He loved the satisfaction of doing the right thing.

Marinette watched Felix leave and gave Chloe an angry glare. "Way to go," she moaned. "I hope you're happy Chloe. Why couldn't you leave him alone? He wasn't doing anything to you!"

Chloe rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I didn't care about a bum like him anyways. He looked like a shaggy mess. He was probably a good-for-nothing. Why did I even bother to waste my breath?"

"Take that back!" Marinette growled, her hands balling into tight fists. " _How dare Chloe say that? She doesn't know how nice Felix is or what his life has been like. She's just upset she got rejected! I swear to god I'll-"_

Alya stepped forward and held Marinette back. "Calm down, girl!" She said. "Chloe isn't worth it. Let's get to class! We'll be late if we wait out here any longer." Marinette took a deep breath and nodded. She, Alya, and Nino went back into class, gladly leaving Chloe behind.

" _Why does Chloe have to pick on everyone?"_ Marinette thought as she wandered back to class. " _She wasn't afraid to take on an older guy either. She must really think the entire world revolves around her. The way Felix stood up to her was impressive though. It was refreshing. It's nice to know that not every adult is willing to fall for Chloe's nonsense."_

Adrien returned to the bakery and he had calmed down after dealing with Chloe. He was more worried about Marinette. " _What if Chloe bullies her?"_ He thought in horror. " _I didn't even think about that. Should I go back? No, they wouldn't let me. Should I go check on things as Chat Noir? They couldn't kick me out then, right?. Can Marinette handle Chloe on her own? Probably... Something tells me that Marinette wouldn't back down from a fight."_

Adrien thought about Marinette's brave face when standing up for him. She looked so strong almost like his lady. She was firm in her resolve and refused to be abused. Adrien's heart began to throb and he wished that she was with him just so he would know she was okay. A warm, tingling sensation filled his body.

" _Why does this keep happening?"_

"Hey, kid!" Plagg stuck his head out and rubbed his eyes. "Could you calm down? Your new outfit isn't nearly as comfy as the old one and every time you start thinking about Ladybug, your goddamn heart beat wakes me up!"

"I wasn't thinking about Ladybug."

"Then get the new love of your life out of your head and let me get some sleep! And I'm starving! Doesn't this bakery have any cheese?"

" _Love of my life? No, it couldn't be. I can't... I can't like Marinette! Can I?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, it's hard to keep secrets.


	5. Unwanted Feelings and an Accidental Reveal

Marinette's face flashed through Adrien's head and all of a sudden he felt sick to his stomach. Her body was so small and thin which made her easy to wrap his arms around. Her lips were pink like sweet strawberries and Adrien felt the desire to kiss her. The sound of her voice when she called his name sent shivers through his system. All the little details came flooding over him. He could vividly imagine her figure standing before him. If Marinette was here, he wanted wanted to hold her and... and...

Adrien's thoughts were becoming dangerously sinful.

"Mr. Dupain-Cheng, can I have a moment outside?" Adrien called to his boss. He just gotten back from lunch break, but inside the bakery was suffocating and he needed to think. Tom saw the sickly expression on Adrien's face and nodded. "Take as much time as you need," he smiled.

Adrien rushed outside and sat down against the wall of the bakery, his knees pulled up to his chest. He buried his face, trying to conceal his blush. " _I've never liked Marinette like this before,"_ he thought. " _Whenever I think about her, it's like how I feel around Ladybug but times a hundred! What makes my feelings different now? Why have I changed? What's going on?"_

"You seem distressed," Plagg said, not seemingly overly concerned. Still, he knew that he should intervene and say something. It was polite.

"What's wrong, Adrien?"

"I think I might like Marinette, but I can't figure out why. Until I got transformed into an adult, I never felt anything for her. We were friends and I liked her a lot, but there were no romantic feelings. Now every time I see her I just want to..."

"I'm gonna cut you off there kid," Plagg said with a disgusted look. He pretended to gag. "Maybe being an adult has made you more attuned to things you didn't notice before. Growing up can cause you to do strange things. Maybe you liked her this whole time, but didn't even notice because of your school girl crush on Ladybug. You are known for being oblivious."

"It's not some school girl crush!" Adrien shouted, slamming his fist against the wall. A few people walking by gave Adrien a weird look. To them, it looked like he was yelling at himself. Adrien ignored their odd glances and sighed. "It's not just some crush, Plagg. I really do love Ladybug. She..."

Adrien's voice got caught in his throat. " _I want to see her,"_ he thought, his expression dropping. " _She's the only one that can help me straighten out my feelings. If I didn't have work, I'd call her right now."_ He stood up and tried to shake all his thoughts away. " _Relax, Adrien. Just don't think about Marinette and you'll be fine. I'm sure this will all blow over when you get turned back to normal. Besides, it's time to get back to work. You've already taken enough time off as is."_

Adrien went back into the bakery and Tom asked if he was feeling better. "Yes sir," Adrien nodded. "Is there something for me to do?"

"I need help dipping things in chocolate. Does that sound like your kind of job?"

"Yes sir!"

The day passed by a bit faster while Adrien was working. He had to focus on not getting chocolate all over himself, so Marinette was far from his thoughts. That was until Marinette came home from school. Then everything began to fall apart again.

"I'm back!" Marinette shouted, coming through the back door. She wandered into the front room of the bakery, smiling and skipping around. "You're in a good mood," her mother remarked, noticing her daughter's overly cheery mood. "Did something happen?"

"Chloe got what she deserved today and boy was it great. I had front row seats too," Marinette laughed evilly. After Felix left, they all had gone back to class and Chloe was pissed. She stomped around the classroom and knocked over anyone in her way. While throwing her temper tantrum, she had accidentally slip and fell down the stairs, messing up her hair and outfit. Watching Chloe fall was one of the single greatest moments of Marinette's life. Karma was a bitch.

Marinette grabbed herself a cookie and stuck it in her purse for Tikki to snack on. "I'm gonna go upstairs now," she announced. "I've got some stuff to do." She turned to leave, but stopped when she found Felix standing in front of her. He was staring at her blankly, looking like a statue.

"The way you stood up to Chloe earlier was really cool," Marinette told him, brushing up against his side. She winked at him and then continued on her way. Adrien watched her run upstairs and let out a loud sigh once she disappeared. " _That was another close call,"_ he thought in relief. " _She was so close to me. I was completely panicking!"_

"Oh, that silly girl!" Sabine cried, picking up Marinette's backpack off the floor. "She left her backpack out here. Felix, would you be a dear and take it up to her?"

"Uh, sure," Adrien smiled. Sabine handed him Marinette's bag and gave him instructions on how to get up to her room. Adrien had already been there a few times before, but Sabine didn't know that. It was best to keep that a secret in addition to the many others. Adrien grabbed the bag and went into the section of the bakery that was the Dupain-Cheng household. He found the living room and then went up the white staircase that led to Marinette's bedroom.

Meanwhile, Marinette was busy talking to Tikki. "I know it's not dark out yet, but I want to patrol around and see if there's any signs of trouble," she told the kwami. "As soon as there's an akuma attack, I want to be right there, so I can use my miraculous cure and turn Chat Noir back to normal. I hope he got my message..."

"I think that's a good idea, Marinette. Hawkmoth likes to strike during the day too. With your luck, maybe you'll find an akuma!"

"That's something I thought I'd never hear either of us say. Well then... Tikki, spots on!" There was a pink swirl of light and Marinette became Ladybug as the comforting feeling of her suit engulfed her body. With a confident smile, she announced to no one in particular, "Let's go!"

She was about to hop out the window when she heard a gasp from behind her. She turned around in horror and saw someone watching her from the trapdoor. Normally she checked to make sure it was shut, but today she had forgotten due to her worries about Chat Noir and it had come back to bite her.

Adrien opened the trapdoor and poked his head in, intending to tell Marinette that he had her backpack, but what he saw blew his mind. Marinette was talking to a tiny, floating creature and suddenly there was a flash of light. When the light subsided, Ladybug was standing in Marinette's place.

" _No way!"_ Adrien thought, panicking. He almost fell off the staircase. He dropped the backpack on the stair steps. " _Marinette is Ladybug! H-How... how is this possible? I don't believe it!"_

"Felix!" Ladybug cried out. "W-what... w-why... Ah!" She quickly ran up to him and pulled him up in her room, snapping the trap door closed with her foot. He seemed to be in a daze, so she led him over to her bed and pushed him down.

"How much did you see?" She asked, extremely worried. "The whole thing," Adrien answered, his brain barely functioning. "That's what I was worried about," Ladybug groaned. She sat down beside him and buried her head in her hands. " _What am I going to do?"_ She thought. " _No one is supposed to know that I'm Ladybug especially not my parents' part-timer. I really screwed up this time, but it looks like Felix is more upset than I am. His eyes are all glazed over. Is he even still alive?"_

Ladybug put her hands on Felix's shoulders and sighed. "Look at me," she asked politely. Adrien's eyes traveled upward and met a familiar blue. "Good..." Ladybug mused, keeping her voice calm. "Now hear me out. This is a secret. You can't tell anyone! You have to promise me that right now."

"Y-you're Ladybug..." Adrien said slowly, his cognitive functions finally returning. "Marinette is Ladybug."

"Ssshhh! Don't be so loud! It's a secret and you can't tell anyone. Oh man, once Chat Noir finds out that someone learned my civilian identity, he's gonna flip. That poor kitty couldn't contain his jealousy even if his life depended on it. Plus, I already decided that if I was going to reveal myself, he would be the first to know."

"Chat Noir?"

"Yeah, he's my partner, but you probably knew that. He likes to flirt with me a lot and... Wait. Why am I telling you all this? You didn't even promise to keep this a secret. Please! You can't say a word!"

"I won't tell anyone!" Adrien protested, his cheeks flushed. " _Of course it's her,"_ he thought. " _The similarities between the two of them were too good to be true. Now she'll really kill me if she finds out I'm me. What should I do? I can't tell her I'm Chat Noir especially since I'm looking like this. I'll have to play along for now."_

"Thank god," Ladybug sighed as a weight was lifted of her chest. She felt like she could trust Felix with her secret even though she prefered that he didn't know. "I think I can trust you." She gave him a kind smile that sent his body into a frenzy once more.

She sat on the bed quietly, not saying a word. She brushed a piece of hair away and looked at him with her bright, blue eyes. Adrien found himself moving forward unconsciously as he wrapped his hands around her waist. Her body was warm. Before she could protest, he pushed her down and was looming over her. He moved his head down and nuzzled her neck. A strange growl came from his chest almost like a purr. A bit of his Chat Noir side was taking over when he felt a pair of hands shove his face away.

"Woah! What's happening?" Ladybug shouted, pushing Adrien off her. "What the hell was that? What are you doing?"

Adrien recoiled and returned to his senses. For a moment, his feelings overwhelmed him and he lost control of his body. "I-I'm so sorry!" He shouted. "I didn't mean... I don't know what just happened."

Ladybug's face was red from embarrassment. She was shaking too. Adrien's sudden attack scared her. " _It wasn't like when I get close to Adrien or when Chat Noir flirts with me,"_ she thought with a shiver. " _That was a real man and it was terrifying."_ She met Adrien's glance and turned away. She felt terrified and pushed herself into the furthest corner of the bed.

"That was wrong of me! I-I'm sorry!" Adrien said, grabbing her hands. "I just got caught up in the moment."

"What moment? We weren't having a moment!" Ladybug protested, pulling her hands away. "We've only known each other for only a few days! I thought you were better than this. I trusted you and I even told you that I... that I like someone else!" There were small tears in the corners of her eyes.

Adrien found himself in a sticky situation. " _Why did I do that?"_ He groaned. " _I just wanted to kiss her so bad and she looked at me so innocently that I thought I could go for it. I've never done that before, not even as Chat Noir. I violated her boundaries and betrayed her trust."_ He watched her anxiously grab her neck and a new wave of guilt washed over him.

"Not to mention, you're an adult! Get a hold of yourself, you creep!" Ladybug cried. She reached for her yo-yo and opened the door the balcony. "I'm leaving. Unlike you apparently, I have actual work to do."

"M-Marinette..."

"Please just go away." She hoisted herself onto the balcony and jumped away. Adrien chased up after her, but she was gone. " _I hurt her really bad,"_ Adrien realized. " _I just hurt my lady, the one thing I was trying to avoid."_

"Well that was smooth," Plagg announced, rearing his head. "It took you long enough to find out, but I didn't think you'd be that excited. So much for taking it slow..."

"Plagg!" Adrien moaned. "What should I do? She's really upset now. I don't think she'll ever trust me again. Not to mention, I'm an adult now and I just crossed so many boundaries. She's probably so scared. She has to hate me!"

"But she doesn't know that you are you. She thinks you're Felix. Once you're back to normal, it won't even matter."

"But it'll matter to me. And she seemed so upset. I should do something to make her feel better and apologize again..."

"Then go see her as Chat Noir."

"Really?"

"That's what the ring is for, dumbass."

"You're right, Plagg. Claws out!" There was a whirlwind of green light and Adrien turned into Chat Noir. He hopped onto Marinette's balcony and observed the area. Ladybug wasn't in sight anymore, but if he called her, she would probably pick up.

He extended his baton and dialed his lady. She picked up immediately and answered, "Chat Noir? What's wrong? Is everything okay?" Her expression was a little tense and it was obvious she was trying to hide how upset she was feeling. If Chat Noir hadn't known that he was the cause, he might have not suspected a thing. He was naturally oblivious that way.

"Everything is fine, my lady," Chat Noir grinned, giving her a flirtatious wink. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I thought I told you to stay put."

"Sometimes the cat has to get out and play. I can't stay inside forever," he pouted. "Can I meet you somewhere?"

"I'm by the Eiffel Tower. I'll see you there in a few minutes. You're lucky I miss you too otherwise I would've sent you straight home." The call ended and Chat Noir smiled. " _She misses me..."_

With a triumphant howl, extended his baton and vaulted across the rooftops. " _She misses me! She really misses me! I guess I know that she loves me already as Adrien, but I still can't contain my joy. My lady misses me!"_

He arrived at the Eiffel Tower and found Ladybug waiting for him. She was pacing around when he landed in front of her. "Chat..." she said slowly. She observed his body and an uncomfortable memory surfaced. "Is something wrong, my lady?" Chat Noir asked, knowing very well what was wrong.

"Ah, it's nothing," she said, shaking it off. "I'm still not used to that new appearance of yours, but don't worry! I found a way to fix it! Did you get my message?"

"I did. We just need to wait for an akuma attack, right? Why don't you go down there and stir up some trouble, my lady? You've caused a few akumas before."

"I'd like to point out that so have you," Ladybug frowned. She was ashamed to admit it, but she had created a few akumas, the most recent being Lila. She had let her jealousy get the best of her, but that was a crime Chat Noir had also committed. He was the reason for the Copycat.

"Guilty as charged," Chat Noir grinned, throwing up his hands. Ladybug sighed and rolled her eyes. " _He doesn't feel any shame,"_ she thought. " _In fact, he's probably pleased with himself because he got rid of a rival. That crazy cat..."_

"Hey, Chat? There's something I should tell you..." She hesitated for a moment. She didn't know if it was best to tell him, but Chat Noir was her partner. He deserved to know what happened since it could affect him too. They already kept too many other secrets from each other. She should come clean.

"What is it, my lady?"

"Today someone... accidentally found out I was Ladybug. I'm really sorry! Please don't be mad." She lowered her head and bit her lip. She worked so hard to keep her secret even going as far as to hide it from her partner, her loyal teammate. So quickly that work had dissolved into nothing.

"I could never be mad at you," Chat Noir smiled, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You're my lady. You are the light of my life. These things happen and you'll just have to push through. Sometimes we make mistakes..."

Ladybug looked at him with big eyes, thankful for his understanding and kindness. Chat Noir watched her and felt himself drawn in again. He wanted to kiss her so badly.

He pushed himself away from her and moaned. "What's wrong?" Ladybug asked in confusion. "Are you alright? Does something hurt? Is it about what I just said?"

"It's nothing like that," Chat Noir sighed, playing with his tail. "While I'm in this body, I tend to get a little... impulsive. I've already made some mistakes that I regret. I almost forced myself on you again."

"Again?"

"That's not what I meant," Chat Noir said quickly, realizing that he spilled too much. "I just don't want to hurt you, my lady. Maybe it's best that I stay away until there is another akuma attack. I thought I could handle myself, but this is too much."

Ladybug put her hands around his face and pulled him close. "Chat, you don't have to be afraid," she whispered. "You could never hurt me. I'm here to help you. This is all my fault anyways. I can take responsibility for it. I'll do anything for you."

"Then... can I kiss you?"

"If that'll make you happy."

Chat Noir wrapped his arms around Ladybug and pulled her close. She closed her eyes, letting Chat Noir lead the way. " _I'd rather be kissing Adrien,"_ she thought with a slight smile. " _But to make my kitty happy, I'll do anything. Not to mention, this will help erase my bad memories from earlier and this isn't the first time we've kissed."_

They felt their lips connected in a moment of silence. To Chat Noir's, Ladybug's lips were sweet like honey. He indulged in them like they were some kind of dessert. His arm traveled up her back as he held her close. He never wanted to let her go.

To Ladybug, Chat Noir's kiss was more powerful than last time. He was strong and she felt his firm arms around her. She heard a slight purr from him and had to restrain her laughter. Chat Noir was a cat through and through.

Eventually, they broke apart to breath. Ladybug giggled and asked, "Was that good enough? Are you feeling better now?" She looked in his bold, green eyes with a smile. Then, she noticed that Chat Noir had changed his hair style. Instead of leaving it down like it was when he got transformed, it was tied back in a small ponytail identical to what Felix had. The style was oddly fitting for him.

"That was purr-fect, my lady," Chat Noir purred. "I couldn't have asked for anything better."

"Well, you'd better enjoy it because that's all you're getting. This was a one time thing as an apology. Don't get too used to it."

"My lady..."

"Yes, Chat?"

"Thank you," the black cat smiled. "But I should also say sorry."

"I already told you not to be sorry," Ladybug sighed. "This was my fault."

"No, not about that..." Chat Noir went silent and Ladybug raised an eyebrow. " _He's hiding something from me,"_ she thought. She could tell from his tense body language. They had been partners for a long time now. She was able to read him like an open book.

"About what then?" Ladybug asked, cocking her head to the side. "You can tell me. I won't be mad."

"Here's the thing, Princess. I..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, the power of forgiveness is beautiful


	6. Time for a Change

"You what?" Ladybug asked, cocking her head to the side. Her sweet, innocent eyes gazed directly into his and he suddenly felt nauseous. " _I can't tell her,"_ Chat Noir thought, his stomach doing flips. " _She'll be mad even if she says she won't. I don't want her to hate me either. Maybe this is a truth for another time. I can tell her after I return to normal... Yeah, that'll be okay, won't it? She's already stressed about me and feels responsible for it. I can't burden her anymore."_

"I...forgot," Chat Noir laughed awkwardly. "Wow, that's embarrassing..."

"You... forgot?" Ladybug raised an eyebrow and frowned. She didn't believe his words for one minute. Chat Noir nodded and she let out a frustrated sigh. There was no sense in pressuring him. If he didn't want to tell her, she would respect that. However, she was bummed that he was afraid to speak up. Ladybug always valued his feelings and opinions even if she sometimes teased him. He always did the same for her. Did he not trust her the way she trusted him?

"Just look at the time, my lady," Chat Noir said suddenly. He pretended to tap an invisible watch on his wrist. "I just remembered I have someplace I need to be. It's been a pleasure seeing you and I hope the next time we meet, I'll be back to normal." He did a courteous bow and Ladybug patted his head. "I hope so too, kitty," she smiled. "I hope so too..."

Chat Noir extended his baton and vaulted away, flying across the rooftops. Ladybug watched him disappear and a sad expression overcame her. " _He's shouldering a heavy weight, but won't tell me,"_ she sighed. " _What else could have happened? He seemed so upset that even the kiss didn't make him happy and I thought that would send him over the moon. My poor kitty..."_

Ladybug touched her lips and there was a slight tingle as she remembered kissing Chat Noir. " _That was out of character for me, but I had to do something,"_ she thought. " _I owe him so much."_ Besides, it wasn't like she completely disliked the kiss. Chat Noir was a good kisser though she doubted that he had any experience. This time, she'd let his flirty nature slide.

With that, she headed home, still praying for an akuma attack in the near future.

Marinette walked home to the bakery, still thinking about Chat Noir. She planned on talking to Tikki about it once they were safely in her bedroom. Marinette was about to head inside when she came face-to-face with the one person she didn't feel like seeing. Felix was coming back from wherever he ran off to and was returning to the bakery as well. Marinette stopped walking and turned her head away, shielding her face with her hand.

"Marinette..."

"I don't really want to talk to you right now."

"I already told you I'm sorry. Isn't there anything I can do to make it up to you? I would do anything!" Adrien professed, quickly approaching her. "I'll do your homework. I'll do all your chores. I'll do anything! Just please forgive me." His hair had fallen out of his ponytail and he looked a little winded almost as if he had been rushing. To Marinette, he probably looked like a mess. Being Chat Noir even for just a few minutes had really taken it out of him today especially after that kiss.

"I made a big mistake and I know that I made you uncomfortable. What I did wasn't okay." Adrien was about ready to get on his knees and beg. "I've learned my lesson, I promise! I can't stand having you be mad at me though. Please forgive me!"

The pitiful look on his face made Marinette question herself. " _He does seem like he's sorry..."_ She thought. " _And he promised to do anything. I don't think he'd pull a stunt like that again. If my parents hired him, he can't be that bad of a guy. Everyone makes mistakes and deserves a second chance, so maybe I should take him up on his offer and have a little fun with some revenge mixed in. I think I have an idea..."_

"I accept your apology," Marinette proclaimed as she crossed her arms. Felix's face lit up and he put his hands on her shoulders. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" He smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. "Marinette, you won't regret-"

"Hang on!" Marinette wagged her finger and playfully pushed Adrien away. "You're not completely forgiven just yet. That was a serious offense, you know? You said you'd do anything, so you're gonna spend the rest of the day with me. I need someone to play model with me for the day. I've been working on a new design and need someone to test it on. After all that I'll forgive you."

"Anything you say!"

"Great!" Marinette smiled, clapping her hands together. "I'll go tell Mama and Papa that you and I will be busy for the rest of the day. They won't mind. Just wait here." She skipped inside and told her parents that she would be borrowing Felix since he offered to help her with a design. They happily agreed and told her to have fun. They were very lenient about their part-time worker not doing any work in Marinette's opinion, but she didn't mind. That meant more fun for her.

"We're ready to go!" Marinette exclaimed as she came back outside.

"Where are we going?" Adrien asked. He thought all of Marinette's design things were in her bedroom.

"We're taking a trip to the hair stylist!" Marinette smiled devilishly. "I can't possibly work with that messy mop of yours."

"Whatever you say, Princess. Your wish is my command." Adrien bowed and for a moment, Marinette paused. It reminded her of Chat Noir. " _Is that a trick all the flirts use?"_ She wondered.

A few minutes later, Marinette and Felix had arrived at a nearby hairstylist. It was the same place Marinette went to get her own hair cut and she knew the owners fairly well. The bell on the door jingled as they walked in and an middle-aged woman with thick, black hair and dark skin immediately ran over and gave Marinette a hug.

"Marinette! How are you?" She smiled, showering the girl with affection. "I haven't seen you in months. Is it time for a cut? There's a new style that I think might look good on you."

"Thank you, Jeanne, but I'm not here for me. I was wondering if you might be able to cut my friend, Felix's hair. He's agreed to be my model, but I can't work around his hair. It's such a mess!" To prove her point, Marinette tugged on a tuft of Adrien's hair.

"Say no more! I know just the thing for him," Jeanne smiled. She grabbed Adrien and pushed him into a chair before he could protest. She put a smock around him and snapped it shut around his neck. "I'll wash your hair quick, sweetie, and then we'll get to the cut," Jeanne explained to Adrien. He simply nodded, trusting the woman. "And Marinete, you can sit over there until we're done," Jeanne added, gesturing at a sitting area filled with magazines. "We have a new magazine with an article about that Agreste boy you like." Marinette happily moved over to go read.

About an hour passed and after some shampoo, conditioner, and a whole lot of cutting, Adrien's new hairdo was complete. Marinette hadn't been paying any attention. She had been too absorbed in her magazine which was chronicling the daily life of Adrien Agreste though Marinette already knew everything in the article by heart. She heard someone clear their throat and finally she looked up.

Felix stood in front of her with a nervous smile. He had a light blush and Marinette's jaw dropped when she saw his face. Jeanne had cut his hair to look like Adrien's and the resemblance was striking. With that haircut, Felix looked like the adult version of Adrien which Marinette was excited to imagine.

Adrien realized halfway through the cut that it was his usual hairstyle, but didn't question it. He had to admit, adult or teenager, it still looked good on him. He didn't mind returning to normal even if he would slightly miss the ponytail. When he got up to show Marinette, the look on her face lead him to smile. Just by observing her facial expressions, he could tell she approved.

"Felix, you look amazing!" She shouted, putting down her magazine.

"It's amazing what a simple haircut can do," Adrien nodded. "I think I like it though I do look like that Adrien Agreste guy."

"You're right," Marinette giggled. "The resemblance is kinda scary. Are you hiding something from me?"

"Absolutely not, Princess."

Marinette paid for the haircut, exchanged thank yous with Jeanne, and then she and Felix returned home. Marinette was excited to get started with her new design. It was difficult for her to test adult designs because she had no one to model them. Her friends couldn't wear them and she definitely wouldn't have her parents try them on. Now fate had given her the perfect candidate.

Adrien followed Marinette up into her bedroom ignoring the strange glances from her parents. They were secretly wondering when their new part-timer had become so close with their daughter. Marinette opened the trapdoor to her bedroom and she and Adrien slipped inside. Once they were out of sight, Tikki came flying out of Marinette's purse filled with glee.

"Who's this?" Adrien asked, raising an eyebrow. He pointed at the flying ladybug creature that was hovering around Marinette's head. He assumed it was her kwami, but couldn't let on that he knew that. Tikki gave him an inquisitive glare, but her face relaxed into a smile. "I'm Tikki," she nodded politely. "It's nice to meet you. You're the first person to know about Marinette and me's secret, you know?"

"Ah..." Adrien said hesitantly. "Is that so?"

"Well excluding Master-"

Marinette grabbed Tikki quickly, keeping her quiet. She let out a nervous giggle and said, "That's not our secret to share, now is it, Tikki?" Tikki realized what she had almost let slip and nodded. As the years piled up on her, sometimes she had lapses in judgement.

"Tikki is my kwami," Marinette explained. "She allows me to transform into Ladybug through with my earrings. Chat Noir has a kwami like her too, but I've never met him before. Tikki tells me he can be a bit annoying. The perfect match for Chat Noir."

" _I'm not annoying,"_ Adrien thought sullenly. " _If anything, I'm lovable. There's a big difference."_

"I have to thank you again for keeping my secret, Felix," Marinette smiled, taking a seat in her desk chair. "It wouldn't take much for you to tell the whole world. After all, people have been hunting down my true identity since Ladybug first appeared including my best friend."

"Marinette, I would never tell anyone..."

"I believe you. And it's nice to finally tell someone. Tikki told me to keep it a secret and I thought if anyone found out... Well, I don't know what I thought. I was afraid that my friends and family would be in danger and that I would have to stop being Ladybug, but maybe I was worried for nothing..."

Marinette smiled and looked dreamily up at her wall. Adrien followed her eyes and found something he had never noticed before.

The walls were littered with his portrait. Almost every professional photo he had taken was on her wall. When he visited her house before, the pictures weren't there, but it was obvious that now they were the main focus of Marinette's bedroom. The pictures didn't bother Adrien. He was the same way with Ladybug. Instead, he felt embarrassed. Was Marinette looking at him all day and night?

"Do you think if I told him he would like me?" Marinette wondered aloud. Somehow, Adrien knew the "he" she was referring to. "Marinette, you can't do that!" Tikki protested. "No one can know your identity! We made a mistake once, but we can't openly tell the world. Who knows what Hawkmoth might do?"

Marinette gave a sad smile and sighed. "I know, but Adrien does seem to admire Ladybug. He always has this dumbstruck look on his face when anyone talks about her. If he knew, would he like me finally or would he hate me? I'm probably not what he would expect Ladybug to be. And I wish I didn't have to lie to him... or even Alya. They're my friends and they trust me. It's for the good of Paris, but I can't help but feel like I'm a terrible friend by keeping such a huge secret."

"Don't think like that!" Adrien shouted suddenly. Marinette looked up at him. She had forgotten that he had been standing there. She had drifted into her own thoughts while thinking about Adrien. That tended to happen a lot.

"Your friends would never think badly of you!" Adrien continued, now feeling the need to argue. "They love you so much! If they ever found out the truth, I'm sure they'd understand. You have your reasons and they would respect that and trust you. That's what friends are. And I bet this Adrien guy would love you no matter what just because you're you!"

"Thanks," Marinette giggled with a slight blush, standing back up. "I didn't mean to get so deep. Sometimes this stuff just comes pouring out, you know? After keeping it quiet for a long time, it just starts to build up. It's nice to have someone I can talk to that's willing to listen."

"Marinette?"

"Hmm?"

"If you could... would you tell Chat Noir? About your true identity, I mean."

"That's kinda an odd question, but I guess he would be the first person to know. He's one of the most important people in my life. Everytime he pesters me about my identity, my heart breaks a little. It's not like I want to keep it a secret from him. I'm just afraid of creating unnecessary danger and being a disappointment..." Her words trailed off into silence. Her speech was so quiet, Adrien almost didn't hear her. But the words struck a chord in his heart.

" _Why would I be disappointed?"_ Adrien wondered. He wanted to reach out and give Marinette a hug, but he knew that would be too soon. " _Marinette is the most amazing girl in the entire world, Ladybug or not. If anyone would be a disappointment, it would be me. I can only be a hero as Chat Noir, but Marinette... Even as a civilian, she wouldn't hesitate to protect someone. She's a true hero. I'm nothing more than a facade just like right now. I can hardly comfort the girl I love."_

"Felix?" Marinette asked, tapping his shoulder. He had gone silent for a moment, lost in his own thoughts. Adrien felt her touch and snapped back to reality. "Sorry," he apologized. "I was thinking about something, but Marinette you should know that you could never be a disappointment. Ever."

"That's a lot of confidence coming from a man I've only known for a few days."

"I'm a good judge of character. You, Princess, are a hero through and through."

"What's with the nickname?" Marinette laughed, her cheeks turning red. "I've been wondering about it. It's a little much, don't you think?"

"What else could I call a girl as beautiful and sweet as you? Queen? Angel? My lady?" Adrien paused at the last nickname. Marinette's eyes widened and then she broke into a short fit of giggles. "Are you Chat Noir now?" She asked playfully. "I'll have to draw the line there. I'm sorry, but that nickname is reserved for my kitty only. He'd be upset to hear that someone else was using it."

"Your wish is my command, Princess," Adrien bowed. Marinette rolled her eyes and grabbed a measuring tape from her desk drawer. "Enough chit chat," she smiled, stretching out the tape so it was arm's length. "We need to get started and I need some measurements from you."

Adrien stood in the center of her bedroom while Marinette took measurements. She measured his waist and chest along with the width and length of his arms and legs. She was silent as she worked, taking notes in her notepad as anything popped into her mind. Adrien closely watched her hardworking expression. It closely mimicked Ladybug when she was thinking about how to use her lucky charm. Beneath those bold, blue eyes was a brain, always thinking and imagining.

Once Marinette collected all her measurements, she sat down at her desk and pulled out a piece of paper. She began drawing something that Adrien couldn't see from his angle. He approached her and watched over her shoulder. Her hand was moving faster than he could keep up with. Quickly, a design began to form with intricate details.

"Is this what you meant by model?" Adrien asked. "I thought I was going to get to try on clothes."

"I have to design them first, silly," Marinette laughed, setting her pencil down. "Besides, it's expensive to make a design. I normally just sketch them, but it's a lot easier to do when I have someone's measurements. It guarantees that I have all the proportions right."

"That sounds very technical."

"There's a lot more to designing than coming up with something in your head. You have to think it through and make sure that it's realistic. There's a lot more that goes into it than most people think."

"You'll have to teach me sometime then."

"I'll think about it." Marinette rolled her eyes and stood up, causing Adrien to take a step back. "While I'm thinking, I'll go grab us some snacks from downstairs. You stay here since I might need some more measurements. I'll be back in a sec."

Marinette ran downstairs and came back with a pile of croissants and muffins. "These are from this morning," she said, handing a croissant to Felix. "We can't sell them tomorrow and since it's almost closing time, Mama said we could have them."

Adrien took the croissant and bit into it. The inside was light and flaky. The entire thing was flavorful and Adrien quickly reached for another one. "You'll give yourself a stomach ache if you eat that fast," Marinette scolded him, slapping his hand lightly. Adrien pouted, but shoved another croissant into his mouth. He knew his princess had the best intentions, but he couldn't deny his stomach what it wanted.

"Fine, don't listen to me!" Marinette stuck her tongue out and scrunched up her nose. "I'll be the one laughing when you're green in the face later." She took her own croissant and peeled it into pieces, eating them one by one. Tikki came over and grabbed a chocolate chip muffin. The trio ate quietly, enjoying their sweet treats.

"Woah! What was that?" Marinette suddenly shouted in awe. She set down her croissant and ran over to her window. Adrien followed her, wondering what was the matter. Marinette pushed open her window and stuck her head outside. The sky was dark and the moon was beginning to rise, but amongst the blackness of night was thousands of bright, yellow glimmers.

"Fireflies!" Exclaimed Marinette in joy. "But why? We almost never see fireflies in the city!" She sprinted away from her window and up the stairs to her balcony. Tikki and Adrien followed close behind her. They entered the balcony and were greeted by a family of fireflies enjoying Marinette's balcony.

"They're beautiful!" Marinette smiled. She held out her hand and one of the insects carefully landed on it. It walked around, causing Marinette's hand to tickle. She watched it light up and then fly away. "They're like tiny stars! I wonder why they decided to come all the way out here. I didn't know they liked the city."

"Maybe they knew there was royalty here and wanted to pay their respects," Adrien joked, also admiring the fireflies. "They're stunning..."

"And just look at the sky!" Marinette turned her head upwards and saw hundreds of stars shining. The night sky was clear and the stars dotted the landscape. Marinette's eyes were stuck on a particular star that was twinkling especially bright almost as if it were looking at her. The scene was magical like something out of a storybook.

Adrien watched his lady admire the heavens with a smile even brighter than the stars. His heart immediately warmed and he wanted to reach out and hold her. He wanted to hug her from behind and feel her warm embrace. He wanted that warm smile to be for him.

"Could we stay out here for awhile?" Marinette asked, still craning her neck to see the sky. "This is so beautiful... I've never seen anything like it before."

"Sure," Adrien laughed. "But why don't you lay down? You'll hurt your neck like that." He laid down on the balcony so that he was staring straight up into the sky. Marinette quickly laid down beside him and observed her surroundings. The fireflies flickered on and off while the glow of the stars remained constant. Tikki watched from afar with a small smile.

Adrien felt his hand drift over to Marinette's. He gently put his over hers and noticed how small it was especially when compared to his adult hands. Her fingers were thin and petite. Her entire hand almost fit into his palm. " _Will we always be like this?"_ Adrien wondered, letting his fingers intertwine with Marinette's. She didn't seem to notice. She was too busy admiring the stars.

" _When I return to normal, will her hand still feel this way? Will she still seem so small? Will I... will I still love her?"_

A sudden worry crossed Adrien's. When akumas were purified, they lost all recollection of what happened to them and so did their victims sometimes. Would he forget all this? Would he forget that Marinette was Ladybug? Would he forget how he loved the feeling of her hand in his? Would he forget how much he loved her, not as Ladybug, but as Marinette?" Could all this become nothing but a blurry dream?

"Felix, your hand is warm," Marinette said suddenly. "And it's a little cold out here, so would you mind if we stayed like this for a little longer?"

Marinette felt the warmth of his hand and it felt oddly comfortable. Despite the incident from earlier shaking her, Marinette felt calm around Felix now. His presence brought her peace and reminded her a bit of Adrien. When Adrien was around, Marinette was nervous, but warm. The day seemed brighter and everything felt okay. Felix gave her the same feeling and so she didn't mind spending time at his side. She didn't want to give him mixed signals, but she was so awestruck by the fireflies that she didn't think hard about her actions.

"I don't mind at all," Adrien smiled, letting his mind relax. Right now, his princess was beside him. She was holding hands with him. Their future was unsure, but the present was certain. Even if Marinette was unaware, Adrien loved her with all his heart. That could never disappear.

Adrien felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Not letting go of Marinette's hand, he reached for it and saw a message from Nathalie. A shiver went down his spine. "I've let you stay out long enough," the message read. "You need to return home. You have fencing lessons tomorrow and your father will be back as well."

" _What am I going to do?"_ Adrien thought in fear. " _I still can't go home. And keeping this secret is way more important than fencing lessons."_ Adrien's thumbs danced across the keyboard as he returned Nathalie's message. "I can't," he typed. "Please trust me on this. I can't come home just yet."

The next message came almost immediately. "Adrien, I can't deal with this right now. Your father will be very upset if he finds out you are being disobedient."

"I don't care. I'm not coming home right now." With that message, Adrien put his phone on silent and shoved it back into his pocket with an irritated grunt. Marinette noticed his sudden movement and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing," Adrien sighed, putting his arms behind his head. "Just some stuff from home."

"Is it hard to be away from home?" Marinette asked, turning her face away from the stars to meet Adrien's gaze. "It's hard to think about the future, knowing that one day this won't be my home anymore. I'll be out someplace else, living my life and not get to see my parents everyday. Is it scary?"

"It can be," Adrien answered honestly. "I'm technically an adult and I don't know the first thing about being on my own, but there are nice people like your parents and Master Fu that have helped me along the way. Without them, I don't know where I'd be..."

"Do you miss your family?"

A brief vision of his father, Nathalie, and the Gorilla went through Adrien's head. "I guess so..." He said after a moment's pause. "They can get on my nerves and sometimes I don't understand them, especially my father, but I know they're worried about me." Adrien felt guilty for ignoring Nathalie. She was obviously worried about him and wanted him safe at home. Even though she kept up a professional guise, she had a kind heart.

"Do you plan on going back home?"

"Someday."

Marinette sat up and stretched her arms with a yawn. "It's getting late," she announced, noting that the moon was now high in the sky. "I should be getting to bed since I have school tomorrow and you need to get back to Master Fu's because you have work in the morning which is something you didn't really do today, I might add."

"Hey! Who's fault is that?" Adrien joked. He playfully hit Marinette on the arm and she laughed. "Get going," she smiled, helping him stand up. They went back inside and she escorted him down the bakery exit. Her parents were cleaning up and were surprised to see Felix still there.

"Good night, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng," Adrien waved as he headed out the door. Then he winked at Marinette and said, "Good night, princess." The comment sent her into a small fit of giggles.

As Adrien began walking home underneath the moonlight, Plagg came out and rested on his shoulder. "What are you going to do about Nathalie?" The little creature asked. "I saw that message. What if she sends a search and rescue crew after you?"

"She won't do that," Adrien sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. "My father might though. He's the real problem. Once he gets home tomorrow, I don't know how I'm going to hold him off. He'll definitely send somebody to find me. He gets angry when I'm home five minutes late."

"Well you better come up with a plan quick otherwise tomorrow is going to be a disaster."

"It's nice to know that you're filled with good ideas, Plagg. I'm sure we can figure something out. Besides, it's not like father could find me no matter how hard he tried. I'm an adult now and he's out looking for normal, teenage Adrien Agreste. That'll buy us at least a little time to come up with an excuse and hopefully a good one. I'd rather not be grounded for the rest of my life once we get out of this mess."

Plagg shrugged and then complained about being hungry. Adrien ignored him, still slightly worried about how to deal with his father. It was a problem he couldn't put off any longer, but it would do no good thinking about it when tired. Adrien needed some sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, the future is unclear


	7. The Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we begin I have a couple PSAs. First if you haven't already, check me out on Tumblr @mitchkat. I mostly reblog Miraculous Ladybug things, but post updates about life and writing there too.
> 
> Also make sure to check out the Miraculous Rain Tumblr! It's the official Tumblr of the Miraculous Ladybug dating sim I'm helping to work on. It's a super fun project that I'm really looking forward to! Check it out if you're interested!

When Adrien arrived at the quaint, little home of Master Fu, he found that the lights were still on. He quietly opened the door and snuck inside, trying to keep the noise down. It was late and even if the lights were still on, Master Fu might be sleeping. The old man tended to get a lot of rest when he wasn't busy working. Adrien assumed that the older you got, the more tired you became.

Adrien slipped off his shoes and headed towards the corner to unroll his futon when he heard someone clear his throat. He swerved around and saw Master Fu standing in the doorway with a curious glance. There was a mysterious smile on his lips.

"Where have you been?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "It is very late. I made some tea, but it is cold by now."

"I'm sorry," Adrien quickly apologized. He bowed his head and exclaimed, "I was really busy with work tonight! They kept me extra long!" That wasn't completely a lie, but it certainly wasn't the whole truth either. Adrien didn't know how Master Fu would react if he knew that Adrien had actually spent much of the night with Marinette especially since the two seemed to be friends.

"I see..." Master Fu mused, not letting on that he suspected anything. The old man pulled out the small, wooden table and set it in the center of the room. "Sit here," he commanded, laying out a cushion for Adrien to sit on. "I'm sure you are tired, but your eyes show that you want to speak and I have the ears to listen." Master Fu sat down on the other side of the table and looked up at Adrien with wide eyes.

" _He can see right through me,"_ Adrien thought as he took a seat. " _Everything has been kind of overwhelming even it's all good news. My whole world has changed in the course of one day. The love of my life actually sits behind me in class and she's been in love with me for months. How could any guy handle that? Not to mention, I made her hate me, kiss me, and hold hands with me within twenty four hours."_

"Speak," Master Fu told Adrien in a calm tone. The man sat straight up and made eye contact with Adrien. His posture showed that he was prepared to listen, no matter how long it took. If needed, he would offer his advice. That was the kind of person Master Fu was.

"It's about this girl..." Adrien began as he thought of Marinette. Once again, his heart skipped a beat. Even though he was aware she shared his feelings, he couldn't get rid of the anxiety. "A lot happened with her today. We kind of got into a disagreement which was completely my fault. Then I kinda guilt tripped her into kissing me and now we've made up and are friends again."

"This happened all at work?"

"Uh... yeah! She works with me sometimes." Adrien shifted uncomfortably. "Anyways, she means the world to me and she's told me all her secrets, but I haven't been as honest with her. I want to tell her everything, but I'm afraid of it blowing up in my face, you know? I already made an impulsive mistake today. I thought she was going to hate me until I die. I don't know if I could handle telling her the truth. What if she doesn't forgive me this time? How can I risk that?"

"Do you love this girl?"

The question was blunt and to the point. Master Fu didn't mess around. If he was going to give his best judgement, he needed to know the facts. He already knew more than he was revealing. The girl was obviously Marinette and the secret was obviously about being Ladybug (That had been a small surprise. Master Fu hadn't expected Marinette to reveal the secret for at least two more days. He and Wayzz had bet on it). However, Adrien needed to say these words himself. It was self-therapeutic.

"Yes, I love her," Adrien nodded, trying to swallow his nerves. There was no question about his feelings. Marinette was his princess and Ladybug was his lady. The entire time they had been one in the same. He had always loved them both though not always in the same ways. Now the two paths of love had joined into one main road. He loved every inch of her and he wanted her to be his and only his.

"Then she will forgive you."

"How can you be so sure? She's so sweet, but sometimes... excitable. I don't know how she'll react. I could see her going in so many different directions. Part of me thinks she'll be angry, but maybe she'll be relieved. She could even be happy for me. I just don't know..."

"She will forgive you," Master Fu repeated. "If she is the girl you have given your heart to, she will understand your feelings and forgive you. Trust her. She seems like a rational young lady. She will make the right choice."

Adrien nodded his head. " _He's right... I should have more faith in Marinette. She hardly ever holds a grudge even against Chloe. She doesn't tolerate nonsense, but she's compassionate too. Maybe things will work out."_

"Now it is up to you to decide when you will forgive yourself, Felix."

"What do you mean?"

"Your secrets are yours and they are secrets for a reason. There is no shame in keeping them locked up tight. I do the same. You cannot blame yourself for something that is not a problem. The time to share your secrets will come, but you must decide that for yourself."

" _Why does everything he says have to be so cryptic?"_ Adrien wondered. " _Is that something else that happens when you get old?"_

Adrien smiled and nodded. "I think I understand, sir. Thanks. I really needed that talk. I was worried."

"Don't be," Master Fu said, standing up. He pushed the table back and shuffled towards his bedroom. His fuzzy, old slippers made a sound as they brushed against the mats. "The future looks bright for the both of you."

" _The future..."_

Adrien grabbed his futon from the closet and slowly unrolled it, but his mind was elsewhere. Plagg had flown out of Adrien's shirt and was resting on the ground, waiting for his bed to be made. He looked up and saw a vacant look in Adrien's green eyes. It was unusual for Adrien to be this introspective. If something was plaguing his mind, he normally talked to Plagg about it.

Once the futon was laid out, Adrien changed into some pajamas and laid down. He turned off the room's light and stared at the ceiling. Although he was physically and mentally exhausted, his body wouldn't let him fall asleep immediately. He felt less nervous about Marinette, but now something else was bothering him.

" _It's hard to think about it,"_ Adrien thought. " _Marinette and I talked about it the other day, but it felt so uncomfortable like neither of us could accept it. It has to come though. We can't stop it. I'm so afraid though. Even if everything works out with Marinette now, will it still be that way in the future? Will she love me back? Will she stay my lady forever? I never thought about a time when we would split apart, but someday Paris won't need us anymore. Hawkmoth will be defeated and Ladybug and Chat Noir will be no more."_

" _And what about Marinette?"_

Adrien's thoughts paused for a moment as he tried to imagine Marinette in the future. Maybe she'd be slightly taller though he doubted she would gain much height. Maybe she would change her hairstyle so it wouldn't be in pigtails all the time. Adrien personally thought she'd look absolutely stunning if she dared let her hair down. Maybe her face would become more mature, but still retain its childish charm.

A chill went down Adrien's spine. He didn't think he would change much. If anything, he thought he'd grow a few more inches. However, he had been proven wrong. He looked like a completely different human being. It was as if he was a different person entirely. And Adrien didn't want Marinette to become a different person. He wanted her just the way she was now. He didn't want anything to change. If he had the power, he would pause the present and live in it forever. Change was terrifying. He didn't know if he could handle much more of it.

"You okay there, kid?" Plagg asked, taking a seat on Adrien's nose. Adrien huffed and pushed the kwami away, followed by a loud sneeze. "I know you're not covered in feathers, but pet hair isn't the greatest either," Adrien groaned. "I'm going to be sneezing all night now."

"You aren't answering my question."

"I'm fine, Plagg. Don't be so worried. I'm an adult now, aren't I?" Adrien said these words half-jokingly, but they stung at his soul. "I was just thinking about the future. Do you ever think about things like that?"

"Nope!" Plagg smirked. "It stresses me out too much and I'm a carefree kind of kwami. I gotta take each day as it comes. And once you hit a thousand years, nothing seems to matter as much anymore. Mistakes happen, but you just move on."

"I don't know if that makes me feel better or worse. Have you ever thought about my future? I mean, what's going to happen once I'm all grown up."

"I don't have to be the one to think about that," Plagg giggled, covering his mouth with his paws. A certain blue-haired girl popped into Adrien's mind. "Someone else already has it all planned out. You're going to have three kids and a dog... wait, a cat? No, maybe it was a hamster...'

"Three kids?" Adrien exclaimed almost sitting up in shock. He could hardly deal with thinking about tomorrow, let alone having kids. "Yep," Plagg grinned. "Do you want to hear their names? They're pretty cute!"

"I'll pass. That sounds like that kind of thing Marinette would be into. I'll let her decide."

"Kid, you just admitted that you plan on making babies with Marinette."

Adrien turned bright red and pulled a cover over his face. "I-I did not!" he protested, his voice slightly wavering. "I was just saying in a hypothetical situation, she would decide."

"Sure thing, Adrien. Whatever you say..."

"Plagg!"

"Do you even know how to make babies?"

"Go to sleep, Plagg!"

From the other bedroom, Master Fu could hear the hushed argument of the boy and his kwami. He smiled to himself and looked over to his dear friend, Wayzz, who was preparing to fall asleep. The poor creature had been in hiding while Adrien had been staying over. That meant many long hours stuck in a bedroom with nothing on TV but bad soap operas and children's shows.

"You really chose the perfect companion for Plagg," Wayzz yawned as his eyes fluttered shut just a little. Master Fu chuckled and replied, "Oh, I had little to do with that. Plagg wouldn't have agreed to work with the boy if he didn't like him. It was purely coincidence. Just luck."

"I'm sure it was also just luck that you paired the girl with the love of her life, eh, master?"

"No, that one was on purpose. They are perfect together. How could I not intervene? Though I did not expect this development. Hawkmoth's is starting to get out of hand. This is ridiculous even for this old soul."

"Everything will be fine, master," Wayzz reassured his friend. "Everything usually works out in the end. This era's Chat Noir and Ladybug are good heroes. They will find a solution. They are already halfway. She had revealed her true identity to him after all."

Master Fu frowned and narrowed his eyes. "How did you find out? I wasn't going to tell you. That would mean I lose-"

"Lose the bet? Yes, indeed you have, master. I'm always listening. You should know that better than anyone. So I expect you to pay up tomorrow morning."

"180 years still hasn't been enough time to outsmart you," Master Fu sighed. He would have to plan a trip to the grocery store now. It was silly of him to make that bet in the first place, but he couldn't hold back. He actually thought he might win for once.

"You're over 2000 years too early, master."

Adrien was eventually able to drift off into a comfortable sleep, letting the waves of tiredness sweep him away. Even though he was asleep, his mind wouldn't stop racing. His usual dreams quickly turned into nightmares.

_Standing in front of his was his lady in all her glory. Her face was healthy and glowing, her lips a peachy pink. She had a nervous expression which was unusual for her. She had one hand clutching her arm and she looked ready to run away. Her entire composure was different. Instead of acting like Ladybug, she was more like..._

" _Marinette..." Adrien breathed, reaching out a hand to her. Ladybug faltered and slowly met his gaze. She had a faint smile and whispered something to herself. There was a blinding red flash of light, causing Adrien to look away and shield his eyes. When he looked back, Marinette was standing shyly in Ladybug's place. She seemed even more nervous now._

_Adrien looked down at himself and found that he was back to normal. There was no long hair or itchy stubble. He was tall, but not too tall. His body was slimmer and he felt more like himself. He was back to the person Ladybug had fallen in love with. And it felt good to be back._

" _Don't be scared," Adrien said calmly as he approached her. He walked slowly toward her until he was standing only inches from her body. He was in his normal form, plain, old Adrien Agreste, so he was only about six or seven inches taller than her. It made the difference though. She was petite. The perfect size to fit right inside his arms._

_Adrien touched her face, soliciting a quiet gasp from Marinette. She didn't move though and wasn't rejecting him, so Adrien pushed further. He slipped his hand around her waist and gently pulled her close. Their chests were touching and he could feel the hotness of her breath. Her cheeks were a bright pink and there was an excited glisten in her blue orbs._

" _Is it okay if I..." Adrien coaxed. His hand traveled up her back until it was almost on her neck. Marinette put her finger to his lips and nodded. "Of course," she replied in a slightly seductive tone. A sudden ray of light appeared and illuminated her face. There was a shine on her lips and new life in her expression. Adrien took this as his opportunity._

_He pressed his lips against hers without any hesitation. He let his memories from earlier that day guide him. She was as sweet as he remembered. The slight scent of sugar filled his nostrils as he indulged in his princess. He could feel her arms wrap around him and tug tightly at him. She was just as passionate as he was._

_Adrien pulled himself away for a brief moment and nuzzled his head between her head and shoulder. He was letting his desires get the best of him. He pressed his mouth against her neck and let himself free. All his impulses and dreams from before finally realized. The adult side of him getting the better._

_Marinette shrieked and pushed Adrien away, knocking him to the ground. Adrien panicked, thinking, "No! This is just like before! Why? Why did I do that?" Marinette had her hand on her neck as if she was covering a bloody wound. Her lips were quivering and her entire body shaking. She looked terrified._

_Adrien was about to reach out and apologize when a sudden, searing pain attacked his body. Everything felt like it was on fire. He clutched his heart and moaned as he felt his body morph. There was a deafening buzzing in his ears._

_Then all the pain vanished._

_And somehow Adrien had become Felix again._

_Marinette was watching Adrien with a horrified expression. She held out her arm and pointed at him, her finger wavering. "Y-you!" she stammered, taking a step backward. "Who are you? Y-you're not Adrien!"_

" _No!" Adrien shouted, the deepness of his voice scaring the poor girl even more. "I am! You have to believe me. I know I look like this, but I really am Adrien."_

" _Liar! Creep! Freak!"_

_Each word stung as Marinette seemed to move further and further away. "How could you do this to me?" she sobbed, tears now dripping down her face. "Where's Adrien? I want to see Adrien!" She crumpled to her knees in a mess of salty tears. Her chest was heaving as she cried. She seemed so fragile that Adrien thought she might break._

" _It's me!" Adrien cried again. "It's me! Adrien Agreste! Chat Noir! Marinette, please! It's just me!"_

_A snickering, black cat appeared out of nowhere. Plagg hovered by Adrien's face and smiled, almost mocking the distressed teen. "Don't you get it?" the kwami hissed in a tone more vicious than Adrien had ever heard before. "You aren't Adrien anymore! Even if you were, I doubt she'd ever forgive you. Isn't that right, Felix? As far as I'm concerned, Adrien Agreste doesn't exist anymore and neither does Chat Noir."_

_Adrien looked down at his finger and noticed his ring was absent. He shot a glance back at Plagg who had it sitting on his head. The kwami smiled and said, "I guess I'll need to find a new owner for this. Maybe this one will give me more cheese. Sorry kid, but I can't let an adult like you run around with a miraculous. That would just be irresponsible." Plagg disappeared with a puff of smoke._

_Adrien felt the sudden urge to vomit. Everything was being ripped away from him. Why? Was it because he had grown up? He didn't ask for that. He didn't ask for anything. All he wanted was to turn back to normal, but what if it was impossible? What if Ladybug had lied to him about how to fix everything? What if he was stuck like this forever?_

_Marinette's sobs had stopped. Adrien looked up at her and saw her in the arms of another man. The man's face was blurry. Adrien couldn't make out any of the details. His entire being seemed to be a haze, but that wasn't important. What was important was that he was holding Marinette as if he was the one she loved. Marinette had her head buried in the man's chest. He had his arms around her, providing comfort._

" _Marinette?" Adrien choked, reaching out a desperate hand for her. She shifted her face so that she could barely see his from underneath her tears. She made eye contact with him and quickly turned away. "H-help me," she cried, pulling on the man's jacket. "I don't know him. Somebody! Chat Noir! Anybody! Please help me."_

" _Whatever you need," the man whispered sweetly into Marinette's ears. He looked up at Adrien and gave him a glare which even Adrien could make out in the haze. "Back off," the man growled, hugging Marinette protectively. "A creep like you who preys on girls deserves to rot in hell. See what you've done? Do you see the pain your lies and deceit have caused?"_

_The figures of the man and Marinette began to fade as if they were vanishing into thin air. "Wait!" Adrien cried, tears now forming in his eyes. He sprinted towards them, but was met with nothing. They were gone. Adrien fell onto his knees and for the first time in his life outwardly bawled._

" _Don't leave me! Princess! My lady! Marinette! Ladybug! I don't care! I love you, so please... you can't leave me."_

_If anyone had been there to see him, it surely would have been a sight. A grown man laying on the ground crying like a child. Adrien pounded his fists on the ground in frustration. He saw his ringless finger and howled in agony. He had lost the only things he cared about. The only things that made him feel real anymore._

Adrien sat up in a cold sweat, almost crushing Plagg in the process. His breathing was heavy and his pulse was fast. He held his hand up and saw the familiar, silver ring on it. He let out a sigh of relief and held his hand to his chest.

" _Thank goodness,"_ Adrien sighed, letting his head fall back down against his bedding. " _It was all just a bad dream."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, things kinda get out of hand.


	8. Splatter Fest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was a last minute addition to the overall story plan, but it's honestly one of my favorites. I loved writing it and I hope you enjoy it to!

Adrien arrived at work only a few minutes late. Due to his nightmare, he had overslept and there had been no one to wake him up. Back at home, Nathalie would come in everyone morning to check on him. Usually his alarm went off, but she had saved him from a few close calls. That was one of the surprisingly hard things Adrien found about being an adult. You were responsible for waking yourself up on time and that was harder than it sounded.

After realizing that he was going to be late, Adrien bolted out of bed and threw on some clothes. He grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl that Master Fu kept in the kitchen and ate it while brushing his hair.

"How do I look?" Adrien asked Plagg as he came back into the main room. Plagg yawned and rolled his eyes. "No one cares," the kwami complained. "Let's hurry up and leave." His stomach let out a growl. It was breakfast time, but there wasn't any cheese left in the house. However the bakery had a plethora of snacks that Plagg enjoyed and would accept as his breakfast.

"I just want to make sure I look good for..." Adrien's words trailed off as he pouted. Plagg let out an even louder moan and said, "For Marinette, I know. Stop trying so hard! You don't want her to fall in love with Felix. You want her to keep liking Adrien!"

"I know, but-"

"I don't want to hear it. Let's just go. I'm hungry and I want some of Ms. Dupain-Cheng's cheese bread!"

So Adrien scooped up Plagg and ran out the door, making sure to lock it behind him. He sprinted toward the bakery and arrived just after 6:00. The bakery had just opened and thankfully there weren't too many customers yet. Adrien pushed open the door and ran into the back, saying a quick "good morning" to Sabine who was working at the register.

"Boss! I'm sorry I'm late!" Adrien apologized as he entered the backroom. Tom was pulling freshly baked bread out of the oven when he heard Adrien. He turned around and smiled. "It's not a problem," Tom winked. "I woke up late too and I had to have Sabine wake me up. And she wasn't very happy." Tom chuckled to himself, but there was a hint of fear in his voice. Adrien couldn't imagine Ms. Dupain-Cheng ever being upset, but then again, he wasn't married to her.

"I have a special job for you this morning, Felix," Tom continued, setting down the bread. He grabbed a piece of paper off the counter and handed it to Adrien. "I don't know how handy you are, but I've been meaning to make a special display for the upcoming order and just haven't found the time. I had Marinette sketch the design and I bought all the supplies and started the project, but I haven't been able to finish it yet. Do you think you can handle the job while I work in here?"

"Of course sir!" Adrien nodded, eagerly taking the paper. The display was shaped like the Eiffel Tower. All the details were drawn in even down to the smallest bush. Marinette always paid attention to detail. "I'll get started right away," he promised.

"Thanks," Tom smiled. "I won't be able to help, but Marinette doesn't have school today. I put her in charge of the design, so she knows it better than I do. I'm sure she'll be happy to help you out. She's still sleeping, but you can go wake her up so the two of you can get started."

Adrien hesitantly nodded and headed up towards Marinette's bedroom. " _Is this really okay just to walk into her bedroom like this?"_ he worried as he got closer and closer to her trapdoor. " _I feel like I'm violating her privacy. I mean, she didn't exactly let me inside yesterday either, but that was a different circumstance."_

He knocked loudly on the trapdoor, but there was no response. "Guess I'm going up," he sighed, pushing the door open. He entered the room and saw Marinette sleeping soundly in her bed. Adrien blushed as he noticed she looked incredibly adorable while sleeping. He carefully approached her and shook her shoulder gently.

"Princess..." he whispered into her ear. "It's time to wake up."

Marinette rolled over, but didn't open her eyes. She began to mumble, "But Maman... I don't want to..." Her words were slurred. She was still half-asleep. "C'mon," Adrien giggled, shaking her a little harder. Then a mean idea popped into his head. It was just a little joke so he could have some fun with her. His Chat Noir side was coming out to play.

"I think Adrien's here..." he trailed off nonchalantly. Almost immediately, Marinette sat straight up and rubbed her eyes. "What!?" she exclaimed, hopping out of bed. She fell onto the ground, dragging the covers down with her. She stood back up and her smile turned into a frown once she realized it was Felix that had woken her up and not her mother.

"You're so mean!" Marinette whined, playfully punching Felix in the shoulder. "I really thought Adrien was here. Don't you know not play with a girl's feelings like that? I got really excited."

"Sorry, Marinette. I couldn't resist. I wanted to see how you'd react."

"Well I guess you know now. Why did you wake me up anyways? I could've had at least five more minutes. It's so early and it's not even a school day!"

"Your dad wanted me to wake you up and help me with the display for someone's order."

"The Eiffel Tower?"

"Yeah, that's the one," Adrien nodded. "He said you designed it. I've never tried building anything before either, so I'm really going to need your help. I literally know nothing."

Marinette put her hands on her hips and sighed. "It's a good thing you're cute otherwise you'd be completely useless," she smiled. "Go gather the supplies and I'll be down in a few minutes. I need to change and get some breakfast. Not to mention, I need to wake Tikki up too. She won't be happy to wake up this early."

"Is she not a morning person?"

"Definitely not. You should see the two of us in the mornings. We're quite the mess." For Marinette, it felt good to be casually joking about things surrounding Ladybug like Tikki. She felt more relaxed now that she could talk with someone other than her kwami.

Adrien obliged and headed downstairs. "I'll see you in a bit, Princess," he winked before disappearing down the stairs. Marinette rolled her eyes and thought, " _What a flirt. He might've beaten out Chat Noir by this point."_

Marinette grabbed a fresh set of clothes from her closest and quickly changed. She was slightly upset that Felix had barged into her room while she was still in her pajamas. It would've been better if she had some notice otherwise she wouldn't have had to face him with horrendous bed head.

Marinette grabbed her hairbrush and brushed out all the tangles. She used two ponytails to tie her hair back into their signature ponytails. With a satisfied sigh, she got up and wandered over to Tikki's bed which was hidden in a tiny nook underneath Marinette's so that no one could ever see her.

"You have to wake up, Tikki," Marinette whispered, poking the creature gently. "I need to go down and help Felix with something this morning." Tikki rolled over with an ugly expression. Her mouth was in a permanent pout and her eyes were half-closed. "Don't be mad at me!" Marinette exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air in defense. "Blame Felix."

Tikki was able to pull herself together after a few more minutes and some coaxing from Marinette. There was also a promise of a dozen frosted cookies thrown in there as well. Finally, Marinette was ready to go down and help Felix who had been impatiently waiting on the staircase to her bedroom.

" _How long does it take to get ready?"_ he frowned as he kept glancing up at the trapdoor. " _Girls always take forever..."_

"I'm here!" Marinette called as she rushed down the stairs. She was wearing a baggy pink sweatshirt and some yoga pants which was a different look for her. Adrien wasn't used to seeing her in super casual clothing but it suited her just as everything did. There was a slight bulge in one of the sweatshirt pockets. Adrien assumed that a certain kwami was hiding inside.

"Let's get started then," Adrien said, hands on his hips, prepared to begin. "I got everything out like you said. We just need to bring it over to the park."

"The park?"

"Well we can't exactly paint in here, can we? I doubt your mother wants paint all over her floor. Besides, there's no space. I'm a big guy, so I'm gonna need a lot of room to move around and work."

"I guess being short can sometimes come in handy," Marinette giggled as she grabbed Felix's hand. She noticed it was awfully rough and worn. A few days at the bakery had created its own calluses. Adrien, on the other hand, noticed something completely different. Marinette's hands were soft and smooth aside from a few pricks around the fingers from sewing.

Marinette pulled Adrien outside where she found the pile of supplies. There was wood, paint, some nails, a hammer, and few other various odds and ends. Marinette scooped up the paint and whatever else she could fit in her arms and said, "Follow me." Adrien grabbed the remaining supplies and walked over with her to the park.

Adrien tossed everything into a pile and Marinette pulled out the design plans. " _It's looks like Papa already did the cutting,"_ she noticed since all the pieces of wood were already cut and shaped. " _We'll have to put everything together and then paint it. That shouldn't take that long. Maybe I'll have time to meet Alya for lunch if we're quick."_

"Okay!" Marinette said in a commanding tone. She was the boss and the designer, so Felix had to do what she told him. "Take this piece and that piece and begin nailing them together. This will be our base, so make sure it's sturdy. We don't want everything to fall apart! This tower has to hold one hundred cupcakes!" She pointed at the wood which Adrien picked up hesitantly.

"How do I do that?" he asked, completely confused. Marinette's mouth dropped in shock. " _Has he never seen a hammer before?"_ she wondered in awe. " _Just how spoiled was this guy growing up. I thought every guy had at least some construction experience. I guess I have to do all the hard work once again. I can never catch a break."_

Marinette picked up the hammer and two nails. She placed one of the nails over the wooden piece and began to hammer it into the base. "Watch and learn," she said as she pounded the nail. Adrien watched closely over her shoulder. He had never seen someone build anything like this before. Each hit, the nail went further and further in. The work didn't seem to faze Marinette. Being Ladybug had made her strong, so work like this was rather menial.

After the nail was in place, Marinette handed the hammer off to Felix. "Your turn," she smirked, gesturing at the next piece of the display. "I want you to do this one on your own." Adrien cautiously grabbed the wood and held the nail over it. " _It doesn't look that hard,"_ he thought nervously. His hand was shaking. " _I just have to hit the nail."_

It only took one swing for things to go wrong.

"OW!" Adrien yelled as he dropped the hammer on the ground. While trying to hit the nail, he had hit his finger instead and now it was red and throbbing. He held it tightly and let out a hiss of pain. " _Shit! Shit! Shit!"_ he internally screamed. " _How did Marinette make it look so easy? Damn it, that hurts!"_

Marinette rolled her eyes and sighed. "How did I know this would happen?" she mumbled to herself. She sprinted off, leaving Adrien to his pain, but returned quickly with a bag of ice. She handed it to him and said, "Put this on your finger until the swelling dies down. You need to be more careful. Just because I'm Ladybug doesn't mean I can swoop in and protect you. You might be more of a princess than I am."

Adrien frowned, but took the ice. The coolness felt good against his finger. It had begun to double in size. He sat down on a nearby bench and watched Marinette finished the rest of the construction. Quickly she was able to turn a pile of wood into the Eiffel Tower. After about thirty minutes, she had finished putting everything together and Adrien's finger had finally stopped hurting.

"Can I help again?" he asked innocently as he walked back over to her. Marinette was sweating from working out in the sun. She had taken her sweatshirt off, revealing just a pink tank top underneath. It wasn't revealing by any means, but Adrien's heart was having a hard time handling it.

"Can you paint?" Marinette asked, handing Adrien a paintbrush. "You can't possibly hurt yourself doing this. All you need to do is paint the tower with the paint in that can. Just remember to do your brush strokes up and down so the paint doesn't look streaky. We want this to be good quality."

Adrien nodded and took the brush. He dipped it in the metallic, black paint and brushed it along the wood. The paint went on rather smoothly and new confidence grew within Adrien. " _I can't build things, but I can definitely paint!"_ he thought in triumph. " _I'm not completely useless though I could never measure up to Marinette. Why is she perfect at everything she does? At this rate, she'll be the one taking care of me when we get older._ " Adrien quickly entertained the notion of him and Marinette in their old age before returning to the task at hand.

Marinette had joined him and with two hands, things were getting done twice as fast. "You're pretty good at this," Marinette joked as she painted the top of the tower. "If you ever get tired of baking, you could probably paint houses for a living. You might even be tall enough to reach the top without a ladder. How tall are you anyways?"

"No clue," Adrien laughed. He hadn't measured himself since the transformation. He just knew that he towered over Marinette now, even more than before. He felt like a giant beside her and she wasn't even that short.

Adrien was painting one of the lower levels of the tower when his paintbrush accidentally slipped off the side. There was a sudden spray of black paint that landed right on Marinette. Adrien sucked in a gasp as Marinette looked down at the new stains on her shirt. "Ah!" Adrien stammered, throwing his paintbrush down. "Marinette, I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention and the paintbrush slipped and I-"

There was a sudden splash of paint in his face. He blinked a few times in confusion before he realized what happened. Marinette was staring back at him with a sly smile. "It's okay," she smirked, waving her own paintbrush around. "Two can play at this game."

"Oh, is this a fight, princess? I know I just picked up a paintbrush for the first time today, but you'd be surprised at my skills."

"Really? Bring it on then." She flicked her brush and more paint flew at Adrien, landing on his shirt. "Looks good on you."

Impulsively, Adrien pulled off his shirt and tossed it aside. "My turn!" he shouted and he grabbed another brush and began to throw twice the paint at Marinette. He wasn't going to lose this fight. For once, he would come out on top against Ladybug and he wasn't afraid to get dirty.

When Felix removed his shirt, Marinette thought she was going to pass out. " _They're so defined,"_ she thought, unable to look away. " _You'd have to work out at least twice a day to look like that. Chat Noir couldn't even have abs like that."_ Marinette didn't really know why Felix had felt the need to remove his shirt either, but she wasn't going to argue that.

They kept throwing paint back and forth. Marinette was good at dodging, so the only spots she was hit was her shirt and a few areas of her pants. Adrien, however, was covered in paint head to toe. Marinette's attacks had deadly accuracy and she had gotten him with every hit. There was more black paint than skin showing. Perhaps removing the shirt had been more harmful than helpful.

"Looks like I win!" Marinette cheered, sending one final blast of paint at her opponent. "That's what you get when you try to fight Paris's greatest superheroine."

"On the contrary," Adrien bowed with a slight chuckle. "I believe I am the true winner here. It would be impossible for me to work like this. I need to go shower and change which means I can't help you work on the display anymore."

" _He got me there,"_ Marinette pouted. " _I think I've been tricked. How sly of him."_

"Let's get you inside then," Marinette smiled, gesturing for Felix to follow her. "Try not to get caught by Maman and Papa otherwise we'll be busted. I'll try to sneak you up to the shower."

Adrien followed Marinette around the back of the bakery. She opened the door and could hear her parents working in the front. She and Adrien snuck towards the bathroom, Adrien being extra careful not to get any paint on the carpet. They arrived at Marinette's personal bathroom which was down the stairs and around the corner from her bedroom.

"Better get in quick," Marinette whispered, quietly opening the door. "I'll try and find some clothes for you to wear and drop them off." Adrien nodded and then entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind him, as Marinette went off to rummage through her father's closet to find something for Felix to wear.

" _It smells just like her,"_ was the the first thought that popped into Adrien's head. The bathroom smelled sweet and sugary. He noticed the cookie scented body wash and fruity shampoos and conditioners that were sitting by the side of the shower. Marinette's bathrobe was hanging on the back of the door and Adrien suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. He was in his lady's bathroom all by himself. He wanted to touch everything and look around. He wanted to learn more about her, but decided that was outside his limits.

" _I should just shower and stop being a creep,"_ he thought to himself as he turned on the shower and undressed. Plagg came flying out and sat on the edge of the sink. "There's paint on me too!" he moaned, pointing at a patch of dried paint on his fur. "You two both have awful aim! I'm going to have to shower too!"

"That's what the sink is for then," Adrien sighed, trying to ignore the creature's complaints. "Just turn on the faucet and use the hand soap to clean up. The paint will come right off and would you stop being so loud? What if Marinette hears you?"

Plagg ignored Adrien's question and grabbed Marinette's hand soap. He unscrewed the cap and sniffed the contents of the bottle. "Yuck!" he recoiled, tossing the bottle away. "Strawberry! It smells like girl!" The hand soap fell onto its side and the soap began to ooze out over the counter, creating a sticky mess.

"Plagg!" Adrien growled. Plagg shrugged and turned on the water, beginning to shower himself amongst the soapy bubbles and hot water. Adrien rolled his eyes and made a mental note to clean everything up once he got out of the shower and before Marinette had a chance to see the mess.

The shower was warm and refreshing. It felt good to get all the dried paint off as well. It had begun to stick to Adrien's sick and left little, dark patches from the residue. There was even some in Adrien's hair which was a pain to wash out. He grabbed Marinette's pink loofah, something he had honestly never used before, to try and scrape the paint off. It was surprisingly effective. " _I might have to get one of these,"_ Adrien thought in amusement.

Back in her parent's room, Marinette found a shirt that had been too small for her Papa and a pair of sweatpants that had been too big for her. They would probably be a little short on Felix, but it was the best she could do for now. She grabbed the clothes and headed back towards the bathroom. She could hear the shower running and knocked on the door.

"Felix?" she called, carefully opening the door. The bathroom was steamy from the heat and the mirror was fogged up. Marinette noticed an odd mess by the sink. Somehow, all the soap had spilled and the sink was a foamy disaster. The young girl sighed and thought, " _I don't want to even know how that happened. I'll have to clean it up later. For an adult, Felix sure acts like a child or maybe all boys act this way. Well, except for Adrien of course. I'm sure Adrien rarely makes a mess and always cleans up. That's seems like the sorta thing he'd do."_

While Marinette got distracted by her thoughts of Adrien, Adrien noticed her entering the bathroom. His body tensed as he heard her footsteps. " _She came into the bathroom!"_ he thought in horror. " _I thought she was going to leave the clothes outside!"_ Luckily for him, Plagg had hid beneath a towel so Marinette couldn't see him, but that wasn't Adrien's main concern. He was more preoccupied with the fact that he was naked in the shower with only a thin, shower lining between him and Marinette.

"Y-you can just leave the clothes on the floor!" he shouted nervously, fumbling around in the shower. Marinette snapped back to reality and realized that she still had the clothes in hand. "Okay," she said, setting the clothes down on the counter. "If you need anything, just call for me. I won't go too far."

"Err... thanks, but you really should get out."

"Hmm? Why?"

Adrien's face turned bright red. " _Does she want me to say it out loud?"_ he thought nervously. " _This is so embarrassing."_

"Because I'm in the shower!" he stammered. It was Marinette's turn to be embarrassed. A blush spread across her face and her clumsy alter ego emerged. "I-I'm sorry!" she cried, racing for the doorknob. "I didn't... I mean I... I should..."

Her foot landed on a towel laying out and she slipped, completely falling backwards. She hit the bathroom floor with a thud and let out a loud, "Ouch!" She had just narrowly missed Plagg who had been hiding underneath the towel. If she had fallen on top of him, he would have been completely squashed.

"Marinette!" Adrien cried as he heard sudden crashes and the sound of Marinette hitting the floor. He couldn't see what was happening. He quickly turned off the water and grabbed the towel that was hanging on the shower railing. He wrapped it around himself and pushed the curtain back to see Marinette holding her elbow in pain.

"Marinette, are you okay?"

Marinette looked up at Felix with wide and horrified eyes. Her face became even redder as she sucked in air. He was standing right in front of her, basically naked. Of course, he was wearing a towel, but that was more exposure than Marinette had seen ever.

"I-I'm fine!" she squeaked, sliding towards the door. "I-I n-need to go. You s-should change!" Adrien looked down at himself and realized than in his panic about Marinette, he had jumped in front of her wearing nothing but a towel. He could probably safely call this the single most embarrassing moment of his life.

Marinette quickly opened the door and sprinted out of the bathroom up to her own bedroom. As soon as she was gone, Plagg came out from hiding and breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought she was going to crush me," he recounted.

"Plagg, she saw me half-naked..."

"Well, it was bound to happen at some point, right?"

"Plagg!" Adrien groaned, burying his head in his hands. "God, this is so embarrassing."

"Kid, put on some clothes. Your towel is coming loose and we aren't that good of friends yet." With a depressed mumble, Adrien put on the clothes Marinette had brought him and then tried to clean up the mess Plagg had made around the sink. He hoped cleaning would give Marinette a few minutes to calm down before he could talk to her again and apologize.

Marinette was up in her room freaking out. "Tikki, all he had on was a towel!" Marinette cried, her face buried in her pillow. She couldn't get the image out of her mind. She cursed herself for being naive and not realizing how weird it was for her to be in the bathroom with him earlier. All she wanted to do was drop off his clothes, but she had found herself in so much worse.

"You don't even have a picture of Adrien that risque," Tikki laughed, patting her friend on the back. "Don't worry, Marinette. Sometimes these things happen. I'm sure Felix is just as embarrassed as you. You both should just laugh about this. It sounded pretty hilarious!"

"That's not really helping," Marinette sighed. "But Felix did seem just as embarrassed. I don't know why he'd worry about a kid like me seeing him though. He's so old he probably has... experience. I don't even ever want to think about things like that!"

"You're reading too far into this. Just forget about it and laugh it off. It's no big deal."

"Um, Marinette?"

Marinette and Tikki looked up from their conversation and saw Felix's head poking out from the trapdoor. "Can I come in?" he asked politely. Marinette nodded and he quickly came up and stood in front of her.

"I'm sorry!" he bowed in apology. "That was completely my fault. I made you uncomfortable which I seem to be doing a lot. I don't know why I'm such a mess all the time."

"It's okay," Marinette smiled. "It's my fault too, so let's just pretend it never happened. And besides, if you ever do anything mean, I've got dirt on you now. I wonder how Paris would react if Ladybug told everyone how good you looked in a towel." There was a devious smirk on her face.

"P-Please don't!" Adrien cried out, waving his hands. Then he paused for a moment. "Wait... you thought I looked good?"

"T-that's beside the point!" Marinette shouted. "Anyways, we should head back outside. We left the display sitting in the park and we need to return it to Papa. C'mon. Let's hurry!" Tikki flew into Marinette's sweatshirt pocket and then the girl quickly filed down the stairs with Adrien right at her heels.

Adrien had a slight smirk as he thought, " _She thought I looked good? Maybe this new body isn't all bad. Perhaps I should start working out more once I return to normal. Would Marinette like that?"_

They went back to the park and grabbed the display which had completely dried by now. Adrien was impressed by the finished product. They had followed Marinette's design pretty closely and it looked like the real Eiffel Tower. Marinette went to grab it, but Adrien stopped her. "Allow me, Princess," he smiled, lifting the entire display with just one hand.

"Are you trying to be impressive?" she giggled. "You already know my heart belongs to someone else."

"I never said I was making a move. You interpreted it as flirting. I was just being a gentleman."

"Then you are a very flirtatious gentleman," Marinette laughed and she playfully punched his shoulder. "You must have all the ladies crawling at your feet."

They walked into the bakery and Mr. Dupain-Cheng came to greet them. "This is wonderful!" he remarked as he admired the display. "I knew I could count on the two of you. This is a hundred times better than anything I could have made. Felix, just leaving it on the table in the back and then I have some cream puffs that need filling."

"You got it, sir." Adrien winked at Marinette and then went to put the display away. Marinette smiled and thought, " _What a crazy day and it's not even lunch time yet. Oh shoot! I need to call Alya so we can meet up for food. I completely forgot!"_

Marinette pulled out her phone and quickly called Alya. Alya answered with a, "Girl, what took you so long? You promised to call this morning. I was starting to think that you'd ditched me."

"Sorry! I need to help my dad with morning and things got a little messy, but I'm totally free now. Do you want to meet up at that little cafe on the corner?"

"Sure! I hear they have killer sandwiches and free wi-fi. Meet you there in five." Alya hung up and Marinette called back to her parents, "Maman! Papa! I'm going out with Alya!"

"Be safe," her mother waved as her daughter left the bakery.

Adrien came out of the back room and was surprised to see that Marinette had vanished. "Where did Marinette go?" he asked, looking around. "She went out with a friend," Sabine explained. "She left just a few seconds ago."

"Oh.." Adrien felt a little sad that his lady had abandoned him, but she hadn't promised to stay with him all day. Of course she was off living her life and enjoying the company of friends. That was something Adrien wished he could do, but with this body, all he could do was text Nino. He couldn't even go see his friends in person.

" _Enough sulking,"_ Adrien thought, trying to have a positive attitude. " _I have cream puffs to fill!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, some unexpected yet familiar faces appear...


	9. An Unexpected Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for kind of a late update. It's been a busy week, but hopefully this chapter makes up for that :)

Adrien woke up the next morning at 6:00 and got ready for work. Mr. Dupain-Cheng had told him before he left yesterday not to come in until 7:00. He had most of the baking under control and would need some help at the register since Sabine had a community meeting to attend at 7:00. Adrien happily obliged. He wouldn't frown upon being allowed to sleep in longer.

It took Adrien less time than he expected to shower, change, and eat breakfast. Master Fu was gone since he had left the house early to go golfing with some old friends. The old man seemed to be involved in a surprising number of activities considering his age. Adrien assumed that older people sat at home all day and watched soap operas, but that certainly wasn't the case in Master Fu's regard.

"Let's head out," Adrien announced as he took off for the door. Plagg frowned and protested while nibbling some of the cheese Adrien bought him yesterday. "But why?" the creature groaned, rolling across the floor in a fit. "It's only 6:30 and it takes fifteen minutes to walk to the bakery! Can't we stay here for a little longer? Kwamis need sleep too, you know, and I haven't even finished my cheese!"

"I have someplace I want to visit first." Adrien was wearing a jacket and pointed at a pocket for Plagg to sleep in. With an annoyed groan, Plagg grabbed his cheese and flew into the pocket. He wasn't happy about it, but at least he had his cheese.

During the night, Adrien had thought of something that he really needed to do just to provide him some comfort. This past week had been a change and Adrien needed to be around something familiar again even if it was only for a few moments. He had a specific destination in mind as he prepared to leave.

Adrien left the house and was greeted by a cool air. The weather was a bit milder today than it had been before, but it was refreshing. Adrien walked along the Paris streets admiring the sounds of the people walking back and forth along with the strange aroma of the air. He listened in on the conversations of everyone who walked past. He admired the red tulips growing out of an old lady's flower boxes. He stopped to pet the dog of a young couple that happened to be passing by. He even chatted to a local grocer about how much Adrien enjoyed his produce.

These little things were something Adrien had come to appreciate being an adult. Suddenly, time felt like it was moving so fast and he wanted to catch every detail. Everything became different from an adult's perspective. Adrien found himself appreciating the hard work of everyone around him from the cashier at the store to Mayor Bourgeois. Seeing little kids play at the park alongside the adorable older couples watching on the benches made him smile.

Adrien never realized how complex and diverse Paris was. As a kid, he brushed it off since he had more "important" things to care about. It was obvious that there was a whole world waiting outside his door. Before Adrien had been trapped by his father's schedule and all the strict demands. Now there were no more restrictions, no more rules. Adrien was free in the truest sense. Sadly, that lifestyle was beginning to get a little lonely.

Taking a scenic detour, Adrien found himself walking past his school. Since it was early in the morning, no one was there yet. It was eerie to see it so empty. Normally it was vibrant and full of students, most of whom were truthfully complete strangers. Adrien looked at it in longing. He wanted to return so badly.

He wanted to see Nino and talk to him about video games. He wanted to hear Alya go on and on about Ladybug. He wanted to listen to Chloe whine and yell at Sabrina. He wanted to watch Ms. Mendeleiev scream at Nathanael for drawing in class. He wanted to smell Rose's perfume concoctions, Juleka proudly at her side. He wanted to watch Kim and Alix race around the park with Max as their trusty referee. He wanted to be there to cheer on Mylene and Ivan's innocent love. Adrien just wanted to see his classmates and their usual shenanigans. He missed them all so much.

He could imagine his vacant seat in the classroom. Naturally all his friends would be wondering about his extended absence. He had given Nino an excuse, but it wouldn't shake him off for much longer. He would get worried just like the rest of them. "I owe Nino an apology," Adrien thought with a sad smile. "I've only ever kept secrets from him. I wish I could tell him the truth. He deserves it. He's my best friend, but I've been nothing but a bad friend." Adrien made a mental note to do something special for NIno once he got turned back to normal.

Adrien moved on, leaving the school grounds. He walked a little further until he was standing in front of a large, looming mansion. It was his home. The gates were locked tight, meaning there was no way for Adrien to enter. Instead, he stood there silently, just staring into space.

In the past, Adrien hated that house. He tried to get out of it at every opportunity. It was empty and cold. Every voice echoed off the walls, making it seem abandoned. Paintings dotted the walls which made them a painful reminder of the past. There were pictures of him everywhere and they seemed to mock him at every turn. Everything was black or grey which made it feel like the entire household was in a constant state of mourning. Yes, Adrien had hated that house.

Now he missed it.

He wanted to be inside, sleeping in his own bed. He wanted Nathalie to wake him up every morning and tell him his schedule. He wanted to sit at the table, even if it was alone, and eat his meals. He wanted to see his father walk down the staircase and nod at him, the only indication of his affection. All the things Adrien hated, he wanted back so badly.

Being an adult radically changed Adrien's perspective. He recognized why his father felt the need to protect him so much. The world wasn't as simple as it seemed. They were good people, like the Dupain-Chengs, but bad people too. Adrien might have found himself on the streets, taken advantage of, if people hadn't offered him help. Maybe Gabriel's sternness and frigid attitude were just a way of protecting his son.

"If I saw my father now, what would I say to him?"

"Can I help you, young man?" A cold, hard voice said from beside Adrien. Adrien turned and saw none other than his father standing beside him. His father's hair was slicked back and his glasses were high on his nose. Gabriel had his usual calm composure, but something was off. There was a strange twitch in his eye and an unusual stress that Adrien wasn't used to seeing. Thin wrinkles surrounded his eyes, making Gabriel looked like he had aged too. Something was eating away at the man which was odd. Gabriel never became stressed, only angry.

At the sight of his father, Adrien's body froze. He didn't know what to do or say. In a panic, he remained motionless, not uttering a word. His hand instinctively reached for the pocket where Plagg was hiding as if it would offer him some protection or comfort. Gabriel tapped his foot impatiently and repeated, "I said, can I help you, young man?"

"Uh, no sir!" Adrien exclaimed, shaking his head. "I was just admiring this lovely house. Is it yours?"

"Yes."

"It's very nice. It's so big and..." Adrien wasn't sure what more to say. He noticed his father's expression soften as he looked fondly at the house. "It's so big that it can get a little lonely," Gabriel sighed, his shoulders relaxing. "It used to be fit for three, but now there's hardly even two." Adrien knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Why are you out so early, sir, if you don't mind me asking?" Adrien asked. "I was just on my way to work, but you don't seem like the type of person to get up early."

Adrien was confused by his father's presence. Gabriel only left the house by car and that was to go to work. He never walked around outside and was barely even home. Adrien naturally assumed that his father hated the outdoors. The two things didn't seem to fit together very well.

"I needed to clear my thoughts," Gabriel confessed as he pushed his glasses further up his nose. "I used to take walks when I was younger with my wife. It helps clear my mind. I've been under some stress lately."

"Stress?" Adrien pushed further.

"Yes. My son hasn't come home recently and I'm not sure where he is at the moment. As you can imagine, I'm worried."

I'm worried.

The words stopped Adrien's heart. "He's worried," Adrien thought as he examined his father's face. "I can tell that for once, he actually cares. I'm sorry father, but I can't come home just yet, but I'm okay." Adrien wished he could tell his father that he was alive and well, but kept his mouth shut.

Gabriel was observing Adrien in the same way. From his perspective, Gabriel saw a fully grown man with similar bright, green eyes and sunny, blonde hair as his son. This man, though a stranger, reminded Gabriel so much of Adrien that he told him all his troubles. For a long time, Gabriel had worried about Adrien doing something rash like running away. The boy was too young to understand the consequences, but that wouldn't stop him. He had his mother's spirit. Now his worst fears seemed to have become reality.

"I hope your son comes home safely," Adrien choked. "He probably misses you." The words felt thick on his tongue. It was hard to lie straight to his father especially when he looked so upset. Gabriel Agreste nodded and walked past Adrien towards the mansion gate.

"And I don't think he left because he hates you!" Adrien shouted. Gabriel stopped and slowly turned around with a raised eyebrow, a nonverbal signal to continue on. Adrien bit his lip, but continued. "I don't think your son could ever hate you. It's obvious you care about him a lot. He knows that you love him, but when he comes back... You should tell him again. Just so he knows."

"Perhaps I should..." Gabriel trailed off. Adrien nodded and said, "Kids can't pick up on all the little signals you leave. Being protective might come off as controlling. Sometimes you have to spell it out. He might feel like he's giving you love, but he's not getting anything back. He might feel like a puppet in your hands even though that isn't true."

"It sounds like you speak from experience."

"I felt the same way he did, but I still have the chance to fix things and you do too."

"I shall take your advice into consideration. It was a pleasure to talk to you, young man," Gabriel said firmly. He pressed buttons on the keypad by the gate and it slowly creaked open. As he was about to walk inside, Adrien called back, "You too, sir!" And for a brief moment, Adrien swore he saw a ghost of a smile on his father's face.

A pleasant mood overcame Adrien as he skipped to the bakery. He walked inside and popped into the back room with a grand smile, "I'm here, boss!" Tom looked up from his bread and smiled. "The register's all set up," he explained. "If you need any help, just ask Marinette before she leaves for school. She's worked the register before."

Adrien walked up to the register and pressed a few buttons to get the feel of it. It didn't seem too hard and the initial breakfast rush had already come through. That meant it wouldn't be too busy while Adrien was working which was a relief. Too many customers had stopped the flow of business to flirt with him. It was bad in the mornings and afternoons when teenage or university girls came in to grab a bite to eat. Almost everyone stopped to chat with him. Some had even asked for his number though Adrien had politely declined.

A few minutes later, a customer came in asking for a three croissants. Adrien was able to ring up her order and give her her food in no time. "I'm pretty good as this too," Adrien smirked as he watched the customer leave. "Maybe destiny is telling me that I should work at a bakery the rest of my life. Wouldn't that be ironic?"

The bakery's bell rang again and this time Adrien saw a familiar face. It was Nino in his usual red hat, dancing along to the music coming from his headphones. He was humming to himself as he walked inside, snapping his fingers as he went. The sight of him was a shock to Adrien.

"Nino?" He exclaimed, not prepared to see his friend this morning. Nino gave Adrien a confused glance and took off his headphones. "Does this guy know me?" Nino thought, searching his memory. The face was familiar, but the guy looked like Adrien, so maybe that wasn't accurate. Then it hit him.

"You're Marinette's friend, aren't ya dude?" Nino said with a snap of his fingers. "Fred? No, that wasn't it. Francis? No, that doesn't sound right either."

"Felix," Adrien corrected him. "My name is Felix."

"Yeah, that was totally it!" Nino smiled. He rested his shoulder on the bakery counter and pulled out his wallet. "So Felix, can you get me two blueberry muffins? They're Alya's favorite. I wanted to pick something special up for breakfast."

"Finally making some moves, huh, Nino?" Adrien laughed as he put two muffins into a bag. "It's about time you made a move. You've been crushing on Alya for months now. It's hard for everyone to sit by and watch. By the way, that'll be 5€."

"Wow, are you a psychic, man?" Nino asked with wide eyes. "Or did Marinette tell you all that? You seem to know a lot"

"Uh, yeah... Marinette told me all about her friends," Adrien said quickly. "I heard about you and Alya. Marinette said you two should get together." Adrien handed Nino his bag and Nino gave him the money. Nino shook his head and said, "I didn't think Marinette had loose lips. I can't blame her though. She hangs around Alya way too much. By the way, has anyone ever told you that you look like Adrien Agreste?"

"I've heard it a few times."

"He's my bro. We're pretty tight."

"So I hear. Is he a good guy?"

"He's pretty much the best bro a guy could ask for. Not to mention, he's wicked smart, works as a model, and is nice to a fault. Can't ask for much more than that. He acts real confident, but I know he's super awkward."

"You two sound like a good match," Adrien smiled, flattered by Nino's compliments. Nino held a special existence in Adrien's heart. He was Adrien's first true friend and always had his back. The two had spent countless hours together to make up for all the things Adrien had missed out on as a kid.

"If Adrien was in town, I'd bring him by," Nino said. "He'd probably get a laugh out of seeing his adult twin. Too bad he won't be back for a while. He's on some kind of trip for work. I miss the guy. Not to mention, it's making Marinette pretty bummed out."

"Bummed out?" This was news to Adrien.

"She doesn't show it, but every time Adrien's absent Marinette has a little less of her usual pizzazz, you know? Her smile isn't as bright and she really isn't herself. That's even if he's gone for one day. Man, you should have seen her when Adrien was sick with the flu. She knitted him three sweaters, a hat, and made a pair of gloves which she never gave him of course, but she did it because she was so worried."

"She really likes him, huh?"

"Oh, she told you that too? Then it must be okay for me to spill. Yeah, she likes him a lot. Has for a long time. I've seen actual married people not love each other that much. Alya and I are all aboard the Marinette and Adrien train. If only Adrien wasn't super oblivious, maybe something would actually happen between them."

"Says the guy who's trying to give muffins to the girl he likes to win her over," Adrien retorted, only a little bit annoyed by Nino's previous comment. "I don't know if you're one to talk."

"Touche, dude," Nino smirked as he opened his bag of muffins. He took a whiff and a smile erupted on his face. "These are great. Alya will totally dig them. Thanks, bro. Hope to see you around. You're a good guy." Nino waved and left the bakery, excited to give Alya her surprise.

Adrien, on the other hand, wasn't feeling as good. He didn't realize that his attendance, or lack thereof, was having such an effect on Marinette. Knowing her, she probably was afraid that something was going to happen to him. She had an overactive imagination that tended to run wild when she got nervous. Even though he told his friends he was gone for a photoshoot, Marinette would envision the worse.

"The more time I spend in this form, the more I hurt her," Adrien sighed as he wiped the bakery counter with a wet rag, attempting to clean up. "She's worried about me as Chat Noir and Adrien. I need to tell her the truth or maybe there'll be an akuma attack soon and I can go back to normal. I don't know if I can be like this any longer."

"But what if I forget all this?" A scary, but completely possible thought crossed his mind.

"What if I forget about being Felix? What if I forget how much I love Marinette and how much she loves me? There's no way to predict what'll happen once Ladybug uses her lucky charm. Akumas are always unpredictable. Sometimes their victims remember what happens, sometimes they don't. Hell, I've been a victim before and have had both happen. I guess that's what Marinette is talking about when she says I'm too impulsive. I probably create even more problems for her."

"I don't want to be separated from Marinette ever again though. Now that I know her secret, I want to be with my lady all the time. I want to be able to hug her or kiss her, but what if all that disappears? Marinette would never even know. I don't have the guts to tell her the truth and out of the both of us, she would be hurt the most. I can't do that to her. There has to be someway to ensure that I don't forget anything. I can't take any chances."

Adrien saw a pad of paper and a pen out of the corner of his eye. The top page had a list of ingredients that needed to be ordered, Adrien quickly grabbed the items and ripped the first page off the pad, setting it aside. He had an idea.

He wouldn't let himself forget. He would make sure that he remembered all of it. Every memory was valuable to him. Not only his love, but his experiences as an adult were a part of him now. He couldn't sacrifice himself like that. The pen hit paper and Adrien began to write. No, he wouldn't let himself forget.

He would write himself a letter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, things suddenly get serious...


	10. A Letter to Myself

_To Adrien,_

_If you find this letter and don't know what it's for or where it's from, please keep reading. This is going to sound like a crazy story, but you have to know that everything I write is completely true. It's important that you don't forget any of this._

_About a week ago, there was an akuma attack and like usual, Ladybug swooped in and saved the day. But, like usual, you got into some trouble and the akuma turned you into an adult version of yourself. Ladybug didn't use her miraculous cure and you didn't return to normal._

_As a result, you had to stay with a nice, old man named Master Fu who lives down the street from Marinette's bakery (make sure to check up on him every now and then since he's pretty old). Marinette's parents gave you a job at their bakery and for the first time, you learned what hard work really was. People treated you like an adult and you stepped up to the challenge (be proud of that)._

_But the most important thing is Marinette. This might sound insane, but Marinette is actually Ladybug and you love her... a lot. Not just as Ladybug, but as Marinette. She became the light of your life in just a few days. She's sweet, funny, and kind. Even when you found out her secret or accidentally pushed yourself onto her, she wasn't upset and accepted your apology. She's been unbelievably nice to you, but you didn't tell her that you were actually Adrien or Chat Noir. Actually, she confessed that she loves you as Adrien so you have to make sure you tell her that you return her feelings._ _**That's the most important part.** _

_Like I said before, this probably sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth. Don't forget what happened in the past or you'll lose the one thing you care about most._

_Adrien_

Adrien set down the pen and read over the letter. This was the only way he could guarantee that he would remember everything. Like Plagg mentioned, akumas were unpredictable. Sometimes their victims remembered, but sometimes they didn't. With Adrien's bad luck, he wouldn't remember a thing, but maybe this letter could change that.

" _I just hope I don't lose it by accident,"_ he prayed as he tore off the letter. He folded it carefully and put it in his pocket. For good measure, he tapped his pocket and breathed a heavy sigh. His future was possibly riding on this letter. Not only his heart, but Marinette's was depending on it.

"Good morning, Felix!" A sugary voice said from behind him. Adrien turned around and found Marinette smiling behind him, all ready for school. "What are you doing?" She asked, trying to see around Adrien's broad body. "I thought I saw you writing something."

"It was just a list of things I need to pick up from the store," Adrien lied. "It's no big deal. Do you need something, by the way?"

"I came to grab breakfast for me and Tikki, but you're kinda standing in the way. Mind if I sneak through?"

"Not at all, princess."

Marinette happily pushed past him and looked through the bakery display case, trying to pick out what she wanted for breakfast. Her body brushed against his and Adrien felt like he got hit by a heat wave. He watched her bend over and grab something from the display and a sly smile came over him. Adrien wrapped his arms around Marinette and laid his head down against her back. Immediately, she stood straight up with a yelp.

"Ah!" She said, startled, almost dropping her doughnut. "Felix! What are you doing?"

"Just trying to keep you on your toes, princess. I mean no harm." However, he still hadn't let go. Marinette could smell his scent which was starting to smell like bakery. For a man, it was oddly sweet. His arms were large, but she felt safe in them. His chest was broad and seemed enormous. A deep blush painted itself on Marinette's cheeks.

" _What's he doing?"_ She wondered. " _Why hasn't he let go and why haven't I pushed him away yet? This is getting weird. I shouldn't feel this comfortable this especially considering that I like Adrien and Felix is way older than me! I guess Felix is becoming like a weird older brother to me."_

Marinette took it upon herself to break free of the hug. She took his arms and pulled them away from her waist. Then, she turned around and pushed Felix away with her finger like how she would deal with Chat Noir when his flirting got out of hand.

"Don't make me treat you the way I treat my kitty," Marinette scolded. "I'll have to take out my yo-yo and discipline you. It has a knack for landing on other people's heads." Adrien shivered at the threat. Many times he had been the victim of her yo-yo whether the hit had been intentional or not.

"Say no more!" Adrien gasped playfully as he backed away. "I've seen you use that thing in action and I'd rather not get too close."

"That's a good boy," Marinette giggled. "You know, the more we talk, the more you remind me of Chat Noir."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Why of course. Anyways, do you think I should grab something for my friends to eat? I promised Alya that I'd bring her something this week as thanks for sending me a special picture of Adrien."

"Actually your friend, Nino, stopped by to get something for him and Alya," Adrien explained. He tried not to think about how Marinette had traded his picture for a doughnut. "He said it was a special surprise for her."

"Really?" Marinette exclaimed in excitement. "I didn't think Nino was going to make a move so soon. I mean, he's pretty comfortable around Alya, but he never tries hard to move past friendship even though we all know they love each other. That makes me really happy! I guess I'll only need to grab one extra doughnut then."

"One more?" Adrien wondered aloud. "I thought Alya and Nino were already covered."

"Well, I want to grab something for Adrien in case he comes back today," Marinette smiled. She grabbed another doughnut from the display case and put it into a brown paper bag. "He's away for a photoshoot, but Nino didn't say when he's coming back. Oh, I really hope he comes back today." There was a hint of sadness in her voice.

"You sound upset. Do you miss him that much?"

"Have you ever had a girlfriend, Felix?"

"What?"

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

"Well, I guess not..." Adrien answered truthfully. He was still working on that. Marinette gave a soft smile and said, "You wouldn't know then, but when you really love someone, you miss them whenever they aren't there. Just seeing them makes your day brighter. Every time I see Adrien, I can't help but smile even if I'm nervous around him. His laugh makes me laugh too. Since Adrien's gone, I really miss him. I can't wait for him to come back. It's been over a week already."

"I see..."

"Wait, you've really never had a girlfriend? How old are you? You should have definitely fallen in love with someone by now."

"I never said I haven't fallen in love, princess. I've just never had a girlfriend. There's a difference."

"Oh no," Marinette said with a shocked expression. "You didn't get rejected, did you? I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. I didn't think that-"

"It's fine, Marinette," Adrien laughed, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I haven't confessed yet. I've only ever been in love with one girl and she's the only one for me. I just wish I had the guts to say something to her instead of mindlessly flirting. I might be giving her the wrong message."

"You should go for it!" Marinette said, her expression filled with determination. She clenched her fist and raised it into the air. "I believe in you! There's no way she could reject a guy like you! I've only known you for a week and I know that you're really nice. Plus, being handsome doesn't hurt though you don't come close to Adrien even with that haircut."

"You think so?" Adrien smiled. " _I wonder how she'd react if she knew that she was cheering me on so I would confess to her. I bet she'd flip out. That's totally a Marinette thing to do."_

"I know so," Marinette winked. "And if she says no, I'll treat you to a hundred doughnuts. Promise!"

"I think I'll take you up on that. I do like doughnuts. I accept your challenge, but I have to wait until I see her again. We might not meet for a while. We're kind of in a strange set of circumstances at the moment." Adrien chuckled to himself. " _Stranger than you can probably even guess, princess."_

"Take your time," said Marinette, beginning to head towards the door. "But I want to be the first one to know otherwise no doughnuts for you!"

"You got it!"

Marinette waved to him and then ran out the door, heading to school. After her little bet with Felix, she was feeling especially happy. She walked to school and ate her breakfast. When she arrived at school, she was greeted by Alya who seemed a little upset which was odd. Marinette expected that she would be happy since Nino had brought her a treat.

"What's wrong?" Marinette frowned as she approached her friend. "Your face looks funny. I heard that Nino brought you a special present this morning. Isn't that nice of him? You know, it's about time. If he wasn't going to start making a move soon, I was going to have to force him!"

"Marinette, you didn't hear the news yet, did you?" Alya said in a somber tone. She was staring at the ground and tightly gripping her bag's strap. She bit her lip and looked up at Marinette. "It's about Adrien."

"Is he back?" Marinette said, her eyes lighting up. "I didn't know if he'd be back, but I brought him a doughnut. I don't know if he likes chocolate, but that's what we had. Oh no! What if he doesn't like chocolate? Maybe he's allergic and can't eat it! What if he rejects it? What if he takes one bite and spits it out? That'll be so embarrassing. I don't know if I can ever talk to him again after that. Maybe a muffin would've been better..."

"Adrien isn't coming today."

"He isn't? Is he still at his photoshoot? This job seems awfully long. He's been out of school for over a week. I know his father works him hard, but this is ridiculous and-"

"Marinette, listen to me, but please don't get upset. Nino just found out this morning when he walked by the Agreste mansion. Adrien is missing."

It felt like the whole world halted to a screeching stop. Marinette's blood went cold and her body could barely move. The inside of her mouth tasted metallic and she was hit with an intense wave of nausea. "W-what?" She sputtered. "What do you mean he's missing?"

"When Nino passed by his house this morning, he was stopped by that woman that's always hovering around Adrien. She asked him if he knew where Adrien was and Nino told her that he thought Adrien was at a photoshoot. But she said that Adrien didn't have a photoshoot. She said he hadn't been home in over a week."

"..."

"Nino's inside talking to Mr. Damocles. They're trying to see if they can get some info on where Adrien might be. I wanted to text you right away, but I thought it would be better to tell you in person. I knew you'd be hurt the most by this, Mari."

"But Adrien told Nino he had a photoshoot. He said that he'd only be gone for a little while." Marinette's voice was wavering. She was on the verge of tears and kept wiping her eyes, trying to push them away. Her legs were shaking and she was told tightly onto her purse, her knuckles turning white. From inside the bag, Tikki was listening and was just as worried as Marinette.

"Well, he lied," Alya sighed, shaking her head. "He didn't want us to know where he went. Even Nino has no idea. As far as we know, Adrien is off the radar. His dad tried to keep things quiet and find him on his own, but he has no leads. No one has any idea where he could be."

"..."

"Come here, Marinette. Don't cry. Everything will be okay. It's Adrien we're talking about. He'd never do anything reckless. I'm sure he's fine." Alya gave Marinette a warm hug and felt her shoulder wetten with Marinette's salty tears. She rubbed her hand on Marinette's back, trying to calm down the crying child.

" _Adrien..."_ Marinette sobbed. " _Where is he? Where did he go? Why did he lie to us? What's going on?"_ She had a thousand questions and suddenly didn't feel like going to school. She had the power to go and search for Adrien as Ladybug. Her efforts might be fruitless, but she couldn't stand by and do nothing.

"Let's go inside and talk to Nino," Alya suggested with a light smile. "He'll be happy to see you. He's pretty broken up about it too." Alya walked Marinette into their classroom where Nino was sitting with a blank faced stare. Normally, Nino was vibrant and full of life, but today he was a shell. Adrien's disappearance was affecting him just as much as Marinette.

"Hey Nino," Alya said, leaning on his desk. "I brought Marinette. Did you have any luck with Mr. Damocles?"

"He called Adrien's pops and confirmed that Adrien is missing," Nino sighed, taking off his hat. "His dad already called the police, but no one has seen Adrien. It's like he dropped off the face of the earth. I don't know what to do. Alya, if I had just pushed a little bit more and asked him where he was this might not have happened..."

"Don't talk like that," Alya frowned, putting her body around Nino's shoulders. She hugged him and brought his face close to hers. "It's not your fault. I know Adrien's your best friend, but blaming yourself won't bring him back. I don't want to see you get down on yourself. I like a happy Nino, not a sad one."

Nino gave her a sad smile and nodded. "You're right..."

"Has Adrien sent you any messages?" Marinette asked nervously. Nino could tell she had been crying. The area around her eyes was red and puffy. "Didn't he tell you that he would be gone at a photo shoot? Did he give any indication of where he could be?"

"Sorry, Mari. I haven't heard anything from him since then. And it turns out that was a lie. Why would he lie to me? I thought we were bros..."

"I'm sure he'll show up eventually," Alya said hopefully. "He couldn't have left Paris. Someone has to have seen him. He's a fashion icon. He had to have been recognized if he went into a public place. Where does Adrien like to go? Did anyone check those places? Like the bakery for example. Marinette, doesn't he like the stuff your parents make? Maybe he stopped by there to eat."

"I don't think so," Marinette sighed. "My parents would've said something. But maybe Felix saw something! He's been at the register this morning and has been in and out of the bakery all week! I'll call the shop right now and ask."

Marinette took out her phone and dialed the bakery. For a brief moment, she opened her purse and exchanged a worried look with Tikki. The kwami looked equally as nervous. Marinette dialed the number and the bakery phone picked up.

"Hello? How can I help you?"

"Felix? It's Marinette."

"Marinette, why are you calling? Shouldn't you be at school? Is something wrong?" Adrien noticed an uneasiness in her voice. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. This couldn't be good.

"Have you seen Adrien at all this week? Did he stop by the bakery or maybe you saw him on the street?"

Adrien's spine straightened. " _Why is she asking about me?"_ He wondered. " _I told them that I was at a photo shoot. Nino and I talked about it just this morning."_

"I haven't," Adrien replied slowly. "Why?"

"He's missing, Felix." Marinette felt a new wave of tears coming and squeezed her eyes shut to stop them. "He's been missing for a week and no one knows where he is. He might be hurt or in t-trouble or..." Marinette's voice trailed off as in turned into more tears. She couldn't keep herself from falling apart.

"Marinette? Marinette!" Adrien shouted into the phone. He apologized to the customer he was helping and quickly rushed into the backroom. He grabbed onto a baking rack to keep himself steady and began to speak again. "Calm down! Slow down and explain everything to me."

"A-Adrien, the boy I told you about before, is missing! No one can find him and the police and his dad don't have any leads on where he could be. I need to go out and search for him, but I'm stuck and school and-"

"Take it easy, Marinette. You need to stay at school. This might not be a problem that Ladybug needs to get involved in. I'm sure he'll turn up eventually. How far could he have gotten?"

"If you see anything, please call me immediately."

"..."

"Felix, are you still there?"

"Yeah, princess. I'll let you know if I see anything."

"Thanks Felix. I'll see you later."

Adrien hung up the phone and buried his head in his hands. He let out a loud groan and Plagg woke up from his nap. "What's with the moaning?" Plagg asked. "You're loud!"

"Everyone knows I'm missing! They're trying to find me. I don't know how they found out, but Marinette was crying over the phone. What should I do? Nino and Alya are probably worried too. And now that I know that father and the police are also searching for me... This has turned into a big mess!"

"I'd say tell the truth, but you can't tell everyone that you're Adrien. Someone is bound to make the connection between you and Chat Noir. The only one you can trust is Marinette," Plagg said, trying to think of a solution. "You definitely can't tell your friends and there's no way you can tell your dad. He gives me a funny feeling."

"I'm going to be in so much trouble once I turn back to normal."

"Yeah, you probably won't be allowed to leave your house for a month, kid. Good luck with that."

"Plagg, now isn't the time for your jokes. I need to turn back to normal. People are getting hurt because of me! I wish there was something I could do."

All of a sudden, there were screams coming from outside the bakery. Adrien ran over to the window and pressed his face against the glass. People were running away from a giant green, gooey mess. It's eyes and mouth were carved into its gelatinous body. Adrien watched it glide over a car and dissolve it within seconds.

"An akuma!" Adrien shouted with excitement.

"It looks like your wish came true," Plagg sighed. "But that means more work for me. At least we'll finally get this mess sorted out. I want to go back home and eat some high quality camembert, so you better remind Ladybug not to mess things up this time."

Adrien sprinted over to the bake room where Tom was baking. "Boss, there's an akuma outside!" Adrien shouted. "Stay inside! This one looks dangerous. I need to go outside and help people!" He ran out the door before Tom could stop him. The baker watched with worry as Felix disappeared into the scared crowd of people. " _Stay safe, boy,"_ he prayed.

Adrien found a secluded area between a few buildings. He could hear the roars of the akuma and admired his silver ring. " _This is it,"_ he chanted. " _Finally, I can turn back to normal. I just hope Marinette gets here soon. I can't do anything without her help."_

"Are you ready, Plagg?"

"Yeah, whatever."

"Okay then. Claws out!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter... No spoiler ;)


	11. The Miraculous Cure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you begin, I want to apologize for the "No Spoiler" at the end of the last chapter. There was really no way to preview the next chapter without spoiling something, so I hope you can all forgive me. :)

Chat Noir burst out of the shadows, running at top speed. He pulled out his baton, extended it, and vaulted towards the giant, green monster. A familiar sense of energy returned to him. " _It's good to be back,"_ Chat Noir smirked as he headed towards his target. " _Everything ends right here!"_

"What's a hunk of jello like you doing away from the fridge?" Chat Noir shouted as he landed in front of the monster. He slid across the road until he halted to a stop. He stood up tall and rested his baton on his shoulder, trying to look cool. "Too bad I forgot my spoon."

"Chat Noir!" The creature roared. It's voice was thick and soupy. It was hard to make out what it was even saying. As it spoke from no apparent mouth, it's entire mass jiggled. "I am the Blob! Give me your miraculous!"

"The Blob?" Chat Noir laughed, clutching his sides. "That might be the lamest akuma yet. What? You couldn't come up with anything more creative? Not the Slime Monster? Or maybe Monsieur Goop?" Chat Noir was laughing so hard, his attention was taken away from the monster. The Blob growled and hurled a green ball of goo straight at Chat Noir.

The kitty noticed immediately and dodged the hit. The goo hit a nearby car and with a loud _hiss_ , the car evaporated into nothing. Chat Noir watched the car dissolve with wide eyes. " _So maybe this isn't an akuma that I should try to piss off. What is that stuff? Toxic waste?"_

"You've got a good arm there," Chat Noir said, preparing to pounce. He pointed his baton at the akuma and replied, "Unfortunately, mine's a bit better." He jumped into the air and tossed his baton like a javelin at the monster. Moving at a high velocity, Chat Noir was positive his staff would slice right through the creature.

The baton hit the monster's flesh, but stopped upon impact. If the akuma had a real face, it would have been smiling. Slowly, Chat Noir watched his baton get sucked into the akuma's being and dissolve into nothing. His only weapon disappeared, just like that.

"My baton!" Chat Noir moaned, clutching his head. " _How am I supposed to call Ladybug now? Not to mention, she isn't even here yet. What's taking her so long? I could use some backup. This glob of goop isn't planning on going anywhere soon. If I have to fight it by hand, things aren't going to be good even if I have this adult body. Brute strength's got nothing on this guy."_

Back at school, Marinette was in a funk. She wasn't paying attention and was mindlessly doodling on her page. She was too worried about Adrien to focus. " _Why did he disappear like that?"_ She wondered with a frown. " _Was he upset about something? Why didn't I notice? I was so busy gawking over him everyday that I could even notice that something was wrong. God, I'm so stupid. There might have been some way for me to stop this. And if I wasn't at school right now, I could go out as Ladybug and search for him, but there are no leads. Where could he possibly have gone?"_

All of a sudden, there was a sizzle sound coming from outside the school. Giant holes appeared on the exterior walls of the classroom and all the students stood up and ran to the side of the room. "What's going on?" Rose screamed, huddling behind Juleka for cover.

"Everyone into the hallway," Miss Bustier commanded as she pointed to the door. "It'll be safer out there." The students filed out, but Marinette, Alya, and Nino stayed behind. They ran over the holes in the wall and peered out. They could see a giant slime fighting a black cat, a strange sight indeed.

"It's an akuma and Chat Noir's already down there!" Alya exclaimed, reaching for her phone. "I need to get down there, pronto!"

"Alya, that's too dangerous!" Marinette protested. She needed to make sure Alya and Nino were safe before she could go help Chat Noir. Plus, if she could get them to leave the classroom, she could transform and jump right down. "That thing looks dangerous! It's not worth it."

"Sorry, Mari!" Alya said, grabbing Nino's hand. She pulled him to the door and shouted, "That's a risk I'm willing to take. Besides, imagine how disappointed Ladybug will be if I don't cover this story." Marinette rolled her eyes and watched her friends vanish out the door. " _I guess I'll have to make sure she's safe,"_ Marinette sighed. " _If only Alya knew that she was making my life harder..."_

"Tikki, you ready to go?" Marinette asked as she opened her purse. Tikki flew out and nodded. "This is it, Marinette! We can return Chat Noir to normal!" The kwami pointed out. She did a flip in the air and had a big smile.

"You're right!" Marinette exclaimed. "I totally forgot since I was so worried about Adrien. That's one problem off my plate then!"

A loud roar came from outside. Marinette looked back out the hole and saw Chat Noir fighting and losing to the monster. He didn't have his staff in his hands and instead, seemed to be slashing at the akuma's flesh. Simultaneously, he was dodging balls of goo that the akuma was throwing at him.

"Chat Noir won't hold up for long without his baton," Marinette remarked, biting her lip. "Why isn't he fighting with it? Did being an adult make him cockier? Nah, he was like that before. Looks like I need to come in and help him. Tikki, spots on!"

There was a red flash of light and Ladybug was ready to go. She pushed herself through the hole and jumped into the air. "Chat Noir, up here!" She shouted as she fell towards the ground. Chat Noir looked up and saw his lady falling from the sky like an angel from heaven.

"Nice of you to drop in, my lady," Chat Noir smiled. "I was wondering when you might show up."

"Well, I'm here now," she grinned back. She ruffled Chat Noir's hair which she now noticed had been cut short. It was back to its normal messy and short style. He must've gotten it cut since the last time she saw him. " _Stop thinking about Chat's hair,"_ Ladybug cursed herself. " _We need to deal with this akuma first."_

"What the heck is that thing?" Ladybug said, sticking out her tongue in disgust. She turned to the akuma which seemed to be slowly slinking towards her and her partner. Chat Noir shrugged and said, "Maybe a cross between month old gelatin and a nuclear waste plant. Whatever it is, it likes to dissolve whatever it gets its hand on."

"What do you mean?"

Chat Noir kicked up a rock with his foot. He held in front of Ladybug's face and said, "Watch this." He threw the rock at the akuma and it got stuck in the monster's body. Ladybug watched in horror as the rock dissolved, almost like the creature absorbed it.

"Got it," she replied firmly. "Don't get close. But how are we going to get to the akuma then? Where is it even hiding?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out," Chat Noir frowned. "He's nothing but a blob. There's no place to hide an akuma.

"Well, we'll have to keep searching. Maybe it's-" She paused mid-sentence as her eyes fell upon two innocent teenagers that were sneaking up behind the akuma, one with their phone in hand, filming. " _What are they doing?"_ Ladybug hissed as she watched Alya and Nino move closer to the monster. " _That thing could fry their heads off in seconds. They need to get out of here now!"_

"Chat Noir, do you see those kids behind the akuma?"

Chat Noir looked up and saw Alya and Nino. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach. He was thinking the same thing as Ladybug. Why did Alya always have to put herself right in the face of danger and why did she have to bring Nino with her? Chat Noir shook his head with a light smile and clicked his tongue.

"That girl will never learn, will she?" He sighed. Ladybug nodded and said, "She's too determined to listen to anything I tell her. Apparently stay away means come closer. We can't fight the akuma if they're here. I'll leave it to you, kitty."

"Of course, my lady."

Chat Noir started running around the akuma, hoping that he would be able to pull Nino and Alya away if Ladybug distracted the Blob. "Where are you going, little kitten?" The monster bellowed as it followed Chat Noir's path. It's sunken eyes traced the cat's movements. For some reason, it's focus was on him and not Ladybug.

"Look this way, you fat lump!" Ladybug yelled. She wanted try and use her yo-yo, but she had a feeling the akuma would eat it right up. The akuma ignored her and instead continued going after Chat Noir. " _Why isn't paying attention to me?"_ Ladybug panicked. " _At this rate, Chat Noir, Nino, and Alya are all going to get hurt."_

Chat Noir took a giant leap and landed in front of Alya and Nino. Alya was busy filming and Nino was busy hiding behind Alya. "Chat Noir!" They exclaimed as the superhero turned to face them. "You two need to get out of here," Chat Noir commanded, grabbing their hands. "This akuma is too dangerous." The shockingly deep sound of his voice startled the teens.

"Is that really you, Chat Noir?" Nino asked. "You look so old. What happened?"

"That's a chat for another time," Chat Noir joked. He took Alya's phone out of her hands and said, "Stop filming and get running. I don't know how much longer Ladybug can keep the akuma distracted."

"Chat Noir! Watch out!" Ladybug shouted as she can around the side of the akuma. The Blob was watching Chat Noir deal with Alya and Nino and saw his chance to strike. Dozens of globs of goop came hurtling at the trio and Ladybug was unable to do anything but scream.

Chat Noir heard her voice and his hair stood on end. He turned around and saw the goo heading towards him. If it hit either of them, they were goners.

"Cataclysm!" Chat Noir shouted, raising his hands in the air. Two bundles of goo nearly hit Alya and Nino until Chat Noir shielded their faces with his paws. The goo hit his hands and turned to dust thanks to Chat Noir's magic. Chat Noir turned his head back to Nino and Alya with a frown. "See what I mean?" He hissed. "You need to leave!"

Alya and Nino nodded and quickly sprinted away. "What the heck is that thing?" Alya shouted, struggling to keep up with Nino. "That akuma is freaking crazy!"

"It's not the akuma I was worried about. What's the dealio with Chat Noir?" Nino panted. He pulled Alya into an alleyway to take a breather. The akuma wouldn't chase after them here. He would be too focused on Ladybug and Chat Noir. Alya took out her phone and pulled up the video she had been filming.

"You're right," she said, reviewing the footage. "It's like he's an adult version of himself. How could that be possible?"

"Maybe some weird miraculous magic?" Nino suggested. "Who knows? I just hope he's okay. Being an adult is lame after all."

Back at the scene of the akuma attack, Chat Noir was beginning to panic. " _I've already used cataclysm and we still don't know how to defeat the akuma."_ His ring gave its first beep. " _Not good! Not good!"_ Chat Noir worried. " _I could leave and get Plagg some cheese, but I don't have any on me. Ladybug needs my help though!"_

"Give me your miraculouses!" The Blob shouted, a pink outline of a butterfly appearing over his face. Now the game was really getting started.

Ladybug jumped around to Chat Noir's side and looked at the akuma disapprovingly. "This fight's going nowhere," she remarked. "We have to take action, but there's no way to attack him. I can't use my yo-yo and you don't have your baton." There was another beep from Chat Noir's ring.

"Oh no!" Ladybug shouted, grabbing his hand. "Your ring! You're about to detransform. You need to get out of here."

"But my lady..."

"I'll be fine on my own. I can figure this out. Besides, once I defeat this akuma, you'll be back tomorrow. You should go some place safe for when you turn back." Ladybug gave Chat Noir a confident smile. " _Even if I argued, it would be useless,"_ Chat Noir smirked. " _She'd win anyways."_

"Stay safe, bugaboo!" Chat Noir smiled as he ran away. Secretly, he was worried about her, but pretended to be okay. There was a narrow alleyway that he managed to slip into. With a heavy sigh, Chat Noir released his transform and returned to being normal Adrien. "Plagg, we need to get back out there," Adrien said immediately.

The kwami rolled his eyes and said, "No can do if you don't have any cheese. I'm starving!" To prove his point, he rubbed his stomach and moaned. Adrien narrowed his eyes and thought, " _If I can't protect her as Chat Noir, then I'll protect her as myself."_ Adrien grabbed Plagg and shoved him into his shirt, catching the kwami off guard.

"What are you doing?" Plagg shouted as Adrien started sprinting back towards the attack. "Helping my princess obviously," Adrien said with a determined expression. He snuck back towards the akuma and saw Ladybug glaring at the creature. He hid himself at the edge of the alley, quietly watching.

"Come here, little bug," the Blob yelled. "Let's see how well you stack up against me."

" _It looks like I'm out of options,"_ Ladybug thought as she watched the akuma draw closer. "Lucky charm!"

A giant red and black spotted electric vacuum cleaner fell into her hands. It was so heavy, she almost dropped it. " _A vacuum cleaner? What good is this? I could suck up the akuma, but it's too big. Maybe I could take out a chunk though."_ Her eyes zoomed in on the center of the akuma which was partially see through. The inside of the creature was murky, but Ladybug swore she could see something floating around in the middle. It looked like a piece of candy.

" _Gotcha!"_ Ladybug smirked. She turned her back to turn on the vacuum cleaner when the Blob let out another barrage of goo. Ladybug quickly turned around as she heard the attack and cursed herself for not paying attention. The goo was coming so fast that she wouldn't have time to get out of the way. She prepared herself to get hit, but instead heard someone else's hiss of pain.

Adrien watched as Ladybug turned to use her lucky charm, but the akuma wasn't going to let her. He prepared to attack while she was innocently distracted. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Adrien bolted out in the open to shield Ladybug. He jumped in front of her and held his arms out. The goo hit his arms and the side of his stomach, causing him to scream in pain. The goo wasn't dissolving his body, but it sure hurt like hell and burned the top layer of skin.

"Felix!" Ladybug screamed, realizing that she had just been saved. She let go of her lucky charm and grabbed him, attempting to support his weight. Her eyebrows furrowed from her worries as she asked in a panicked voice, "Why are you here?"

" _Oh right,"_ Adrien grumbled, trying to ignore the pain. " _I'm still Felix."_

"I just came to rescue my princess while her black cat is away," he smirked at her, a sparkle in his eye. "You really should pay more attention. You'll get hurt like that..."

"F-Felix! Your arms! You're hurt!"

Adrien shook his head and said with a grunt, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me! Worry about that thing!" He pointed at the Blob who was irritated at being ignored. "I know you have a plan in that smart brain of yours."

Ladybug nodded and switched on the vacuum. She had her yo-yo ready and ran at the akuma. "That's right!" The Blob laughed. "Come to me! I want your miraculous!" Ladybug continued to run and held the vacuum up towards the akuma's body. A chunk of its mass was sucked away, causing the monster to yell in fury. There was enough of his body removed that Ladybug was able to sneak her yo-yo in and grab the piece of candy.

"Suck on this!" Ladybug smirked. "Don't you know sweets are bad for your health?"

She pulled her yo-yo out and the candy fell into her hands. It was a lollipop, the kind you could buy at a general store. With a satisfied smile, Ladybug threw it onto the ground, shattering it into pieces. A purple butterfly came out and Ladybug quickly caught it.

"Bye bye, little butterfly," she waved as the insect flew away. Then, she looked down at the object her lucky charm had given her and tossed it into the air, shouting "Miraculous Ladybug!" There was a swirl of red light that engulfed the area. Cars returned to normals and buildings rebuilt themselves. A purple mist formed around the akuma and a young, slightly larger man appeared on the ground, bewildered. That was all normal. What Ladybug wanted to know was how Chat Noir was doing.

Adrien watched Ladybug release her miraculous cure and the pain in his arms instantly eased. " _Finally..."_ He sighed, grasping his chest. " _I'll finally be back to normal... Wait, I'll turn back to normal right here where Ladybug is standing. I need to get out of here!"_

There was a sudden burning pain that shot through Adrien's body. It was just like when he had been turned into an adult. He ran away, back towards the alley he had hid in before. Adrien pressed his body against the brick wall as his body began to throb and shrink. He felt himself grow smaller and thinner. There was a rush of red magic and his clothes returned to normal.

" _Why the hell does this hurt so bad?"_ Adrien wondered before he blacked out.

Ladybug walked over the akuma victim and helped him stand up. He asked her what was happening, but she told him not to worry and sent him on his way. Shortly after, she turned around to check on Felix when she realized he had vanished. " _Where did he go? He was just here a second ago,"_ she wondered, looking around the area. " _I need to make sure that he's okay and then I need to call Chat Noir. I have to make sure my miraculous cure worked."_

Ladybug grabbed her yo-yo, prepared to take off when she was a piece of paper flapping in the wind. It was stuck against a nearby tree. Something about it caught her eye. She hooked her yo-yo back onto her belt and walked over to pick it up. She flipped it over and thought to herself, " _A letter? How'd this get here? I should probably return it to whoever wrote-"_

Her thoughts stopped as she read the first line of letter.

_Dear Adrien._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, Marinette demands answers...


	12. Explain

After reading those first words, Ladybug folded the letter and bolted away from the scene. There were onlookers coming and she was about to detransform. She waved at the growing crowd and flew away on her yo-yo, landing nearby a giant sign advertising some band's next concert. There was a red glow and Ladybug returned to being Marinette, Tikki landing gently in her hands. Immediately, Tikki noticed a distressed look on Marinette's face.

"What's wrong?" Tikki asked with a frown. "Why aren't you excited? We just saved Chat Noir! Everything's back to normal! You should be celebrating!"

"I'm happy about that, Tikki, but it's this letter that bothers me..." Marinette showed Tikki the letter and began to unfold it. "It says Dear Adrien which means it wasn't meant for me. I feel bad about reading it since it's Adrien's property. I should just return it to him, but I have this weird, nagging feeling..."

"It might not even be your Adrien's so it couldn't hurt to look..."

"Tikki!" Marinette replied in shock. Normally Tikki was the one who talked Marinette out of making bad decisions. Now Marinette sounded like the logical one. Tikki shrugged and said, "For some reason, I think you should read it too. I'll let you get away with this this time only, okay? I can pretend I didn't see anything."

"You're the best, Tikki!" Marinette smiled. She gave the kwami a kiss on the forehead and then Tikki flew back into her safe hovel in Marinette's handbag. Marinette held the letter with a deep breath, letting her fingers brush over the page. The handwriting was fancy and elegant. It definitely reminded her of Adrien's.

"But it couldn't be Adrien's, could it?" Marinette wondered as she began to read. "Why would he write a letter to himself? Not to mention, he's still missing..." Her body tensed. "What if this letter has information about his whereabouts? I didn't even think of that. No wonder Tikki and I had a funny feeling. I have to read it now..."

Marinette's eyes began to travel down the page. At first she was calm, but her breath was quickly whisked away. Each word hurt like a needle pricking her skin. Her brain couldn't keep up with the words she was reading. "W-what's this mean?" she thought as she reached the final lines. "This letter makes it sound like Adrien was... like he was Felix! And that he loves me?"

"That's not possible. Adrien wasn't even there when the Babysitter attacked. The only one who got hit was Chat Noir. Was I not paying attention and let Adrien get hurt? Still, it can't be possible. Felix was the exact opposite of Adrien. He was flirty and loose and not to mention he..." The memory of Felix trying to kiss her shot through Marinette's head, causing her to blush. "For the love of god, I hope I'm just imagining things. This is too much to handle."

"What does the letter say?" Tikki whispered from the purse. Marinette handed her the letter. Tikki quickly skimmed through it and her eyes grew wide. "Marinette!" Tikki exclaimed. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I think so... It can't be possible!"

"It makes sense though. Adrien has been missing ever since Felix showed up. Maybe they're one and the same?"

Marinette thought to herself for a moment. "There's only one way to confirm this. I need to find Felix and ask him. He ran away while I was defeating the akuma. If he hasn't gone far, he should be just around the corner. For my sake, I hope I'm wrong. If Adrien is Felix that would mean I confessed my love to him and he knows I'm Ladybug." Marinette had really gotten herself into a mess this time. Now she would know better about spilling secrets.

"But wouldn't that mean he loves you back?" The thought briefly played through her head, but she swatted it away. It didn't seem realistic to get her hopes up. For all she knew, it could be a different "Adrien" and "Marinette" in the letter. This whole situation was too crazy and Marinette could hardly think straight. Love was the least of her concerns.

Marinette left the safety of the sign and walked onto the sidewalk. People were still crowded around the area where the akuma attack took place. An ambulance had come to take the akuma victim away, just to make sure he was healthy and safe. Sometimes the victim went through an aftershock. Marinette looked around the area, wondering where Felix could have run off to.

She spotted a narrow alley way between two old buildings. If her memory was correct, Felix had come sprinting out of there when he protected her. Maybe he had gone back while she was finishing off the akuma. Marinette slowly approached the alley, not sure what she expected to find. She turned the corner and entered the alley, walking around a giant trash bin. It looked vacant.

"It doesn't look like he's here..."

Marinette let out a yell as she nearly tripped over something lying on the ground. She looked down and saw Adrien Agreste slumped against the alley wall. His hair was a mess and he was sweating profusely. His eyes were closed and it seemed like he was unconscious.

"Adrien!" Marinette shrieked. She fell to her knees and grabbed his hand. It was still warm which meant he was alive. She could feel his pulse. "Adrien!" she screamed again. This time, she shook his shoulders, hoping he might open his eyes. "Please be okay! Please be okay!" Marinette really didn't know what she would do if he wasn't. Already she was dangerously close to tears.

Adrien felt warm hands on his shoulders begin to shake him. His mind began to stir and he thought, "What a wicked headache..." He groaned and reached for his head when he heard someone shout, "You're alive!" Adrien opened his eyes and saw Marinette hovering above him, tears in the corners of her eyes. Her face was flushed and he tell from her expression that she was scared.

Marinette sobbed and then hugged Adrien, pulling him close to her chest. "I thought you were hurt!" she sobbed, letting her tears flow freely. Adrien could feel them wetting his shirt. "I thought you were dead!"

"Slow down there," Adrien chuckled, returning the hug. "It takes a lot to kill me." He tried to put his arm around her, but there was a sharp pain in his back. He grunted and fell back against the wall. Marinette screamed again and pulled out her cellphone. "I'm going to call an ambulance," she explained, rapidly dialing 112 on her keypad. "Don't move!"

"Wait!" Adrien shouted, snatching the phone from her hands. He ended the emergency call and took a deep breath. "I'm fine," he said though his voice sounded hoarse. "Really..."

"If you're so fine then explain to me what you're doing here?" Marinette frowned.

"Her pouty face is absolutely adorable," Adrien smiled to himself. "She's cute, spots or not." Adrien's thoughts paused for a moment and then his face lit up. "I remembered!" he wanted to shout in glee. "I actually remember everything. Thank god. I guess my luck was good for once. Now I won't need that letter."

"Adrien, you aren't answering me?" Marinette continued sternly. She had her arms crossed and was sitting on the ground beside him. Her pants were getting dirty from all the trash and grime on the ground, but she didn't care. She wanted an explanation.

"He's acting strange." Marinette bit her lip. "Not to mention I found him lying in the middle of a random alley after being missing for over a week. I didn't think Adrien was one to keep secrets, but there's more to him than meets the eye. Why haven't I ever noticed before? He's always so honest and upfront at school, but maybe that was an act too. Just what's going on, Adrien?"

"It's a long story, Marinette..." Adrien replied slowly. "You probably won't be interested."

"You're wrong! I want to know. I need to know. I have a lot of questions too especially considering that you've been missing. Do you know how worried we all were? We thought something had happened to you!" Marinette was yelling now, but she was also crying again. "We thought you were... we thought you would be gone forever!"

It was Adrien's turn to provide a hug. He reached out his arms and gave Marinette a hopeful smile. "But I'm right here now. See? I'm completely okay," he said softly. Marinette fell against his chest and began to heave. She could barely get out any words in between her tears. Remembering how scared she was for him sent shockwaves through her body. She was shaking and Adrien rubbed her back, trying to keep her calm.

"Marinette, I have so many things to tell you," Adrien sighed, consoling the poor girl. "I just don't know how to say them, but you deserve an explanation and an apology. I've put you through a lot lately. I don't even know where to begin."

Marinette pulled away and wiped her eyes. They were red and puffy, but for once, she didn't care about her appearance in front of Adrien. Their current conversation had moved past superficial appearances. He wasn't talking to her as Adrien Agreste, teen model and heartthrob and she wasn't talking to him as timid, shy Marinette. For the first time, it felt like they were face to face with their true selves.

"You could start with this," she said slowly, pulling a folded letter out of her pocket. Adrien saw the letter and his heart stopped. "Shit," he thought quickly. "That couldn't be..." He reached for his own pockets and found that the letter he had written to himself was mysteriously missing. It must have fallen out when he had run out to protect Ladybug which meant that Marinette had picked it up afterwards and subsequently read it.

"Did you read it?"

"Yes." That was all she said. She observed Adrien's change in expression. When she pulled out the letter, he looked nervous, but now his face was calm, almost relieved. He looked up at her with his bright, green eyes and said, "And?"

"Are you and Felix..." Marinette paused, struggling to get her words out. Everything still seemed so impossible, completely improbable. Yet it seemed like the only truth. "Are you and Felix the same person?"

"Technically yes," Adrien replied honestly. He held his hands in his lap and tried to take things slowly, hoping to avoid overwhelming Marinette. "When I got hit by that akuma attack, I got turned into an adult. I didn't want anyone to know that I was well... me, so I came up with a new identity."

"And you came to work at the bakery?"

"Yeah..."

"He was Felix..." Marinette thought, her face quickly becoming more and more read. "He was Felix, the flirty guy who couldn't make a good joke if his life depended on it. Him? The Felix who spent the other night with me on my balcony and we held hands? The Felix I saw half-dressed in the shower. The Felix who... KISSED ME!"

Marinette gasped and fell backwards, almost hitting her head against the ground. "You!" she exclaimed, pointing a finger at Adrien. "You kissed me! You pushed me down and kissed me!"

"We also held hands," Adrien snickered. "Really Marinette, you should do a better job of keeping your guard up." His sly comment caused Marinette's mouth to drop wide open. "This can't be Adrien Agreste," she thought as she examined the model up and down. "He's sitting here in the middle of a dirty alley, making jokes and telling me that he got turned into a twenty-five year old and that he kissed me. He sounds proud of it too!"

"But how is that possible?" Marinette groaned, holding her head in her hands. "I watched the Babysitter attack and I didn't see you at all."

"Marinette, you don't have to pretend that you were innocently at the scene. I know you're Ladybug, remember?"

"Shut up! I'm still trying to process that. And don't dodge the question!" Marinette huffed. Her patience was dangerously thin. Adrien Agreste or not, she was ready to send punches flying. She felt like a fool. She had stupidly revealed her identity and crush to Adrien because she naively trusted some strange guy. And Adrien had played her like a fiddle. He learned how he felt about her and had the nerve to kiss and toy around with her.

"I thought he was better than that," Marinette wanted to cry. "He was supposed to be my prince. I thought he was kind and cared about others. He was sweet despite his sometimes awful jokes. As Adrien, he always reached out to help me even if he was upset. Was that all a facade? I didn't know these were Adrien's true colors."

"Mari, don't give me that look," Adrien frowned, putting a hand on her cheek. He used his thumb to gently brush away one of her salty tears. "You must think I'm a terrible guy, but I'm really not. I wasn't playing around! And I definitely won't tell anyone your secret! The thing is, as an adult, I couldn't help myself since I really like you."

"He likes me? Now I really must be dreaming."

"You like me?" Marinette pointed back at herself and Adrien nodded. "Of course," he smiled as he brushed his hair away from his eyes. "I wouldn't try to kiss any girl. I really like you, Marinette. I was blind not to see it before, but being able to spend so much time with you opened my eyes. I know it wasn't fair of me to keep my identity a secret from you especially since we're friends, but I had no choice. You need to know that I do love you though. I love you so much and I know you love me too. So everything is okay, right?"

"..."

"Marinette, you can't break down on me yet. I'm still not finished," Adrien laughed. Marinette was staring at him with wide, blue orbs. She was going through such a complex range of emotions, she had no idea how to react. "This isn't how I imagined my confession going," Marinette finally thought. "I thought there would be flowers and I'd be wearing something cute, not sitting in a pile of dirt next to a trash can."

Marinette caught her breath and tried to think rationally. "Adrien loves me, but that doesn't get him out of this mess," she told herself. "You can be happy, but we'll push that aside for now. I need answers." Marinette's eyes narrowed and she gave Adrien a demanding look.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy right now," Marinette smiled, the side of her mouth upturning. She leaned closer to Adrien, causing him to fall back against the wall. "But I know you haven't told me everything yet and I need to know. I didn't see you when fighting that akuma. The only person I saw get hit was Chat Noir, so where were you?

"You see, that's the other secret. So before I tell you, I wanted to preface this by telling you that I love you so much and you love me too like I mentioned before, so you can't be mad."

"I think I'll be the judge of that, Adrien Agreste," Marinette frowned. Adrien shuddered. Marinette was in Ladybug mode and she would not take crap from anybody. She wouldn't let love cloud her judgement.

Adrien sighed and held up his hand to her. "Do you see this ring?" he asked nicely. Marinette nodded slowly, still listening closely. "Well, this ring and the help of my kwami, Plagg, lets me transform into Chat Noir..."

has stopped working.

"What the hel-" Marinette began to scream, but Adrien clasped his hands over her mouth. "Don't be mad!" he said quickly, trying to do damage control. "Calm down! Calm down! Remember I love you! Here, see!" Adrien leaned over and gave Marinette a quick peck on the cheek, hoping that might help. Instead he received a firm slap to the face.

"Yeah, I deserved that..." Adrien cursed as he rubbed his sore cheek. Marinette could sure pack a punch when she wanted too. After hearing all the commotion, Plagg decided that was his cue and came flying out into the open. He took a seat on Adrien's knee and waved at Marinette. "Hi! I'm Plagg," he introduced himself. "Do you have any cheese?"

"Oh my god, this isn't happening." Marinette moaned. "Please tell me this isn't happening. You're Adrien Agreste! There's no way you can also be Chat Noir. He's such a... such a..."

"I think the word you want to use is 'dorkasaurus'!" Tikki shouted as she came flying out of Marinette's purse. "I knew I had a funny feeling about Felix. I was pretty sure Adrien was Chat Noir, but I had no idea about him being Felix!"

"Tikki, you knew?" Marinette shouted, looking at her kwami friend in shock. Tikki shrugged and said, "I was pretty sure, but didn't want to tell you. That wouldn't be fair to Chat Noir since it was his secret to tell. Plus, I didn't think you'd handle it very well."

"Well you were right about that," Adrien chimed in. Marinette gave him a dirty glare and he shut up. Marinette began to rub her temples and said in a calm voice, "I'm fine. Everything's fine, but I need to clarify things. Adrien was Felix. Chat Noir was Adrien. And this entire time he has liked me whether it be as Marinette or Ladybug, am I correct?"

At the same time, Tikki, Plagg, and Adrien all said, "Yes!"

"I'm taking the highest strength headache medication when I get home," Marinette groaned. "All my hopes and dreams about confessing have been crushed and I found out the love of my life is nothing but a big loser."

"But I'm your loser, aren't I, my lady?"

"..."

Marinette's silence worried Adrien. "Will she stop liking me know that she knows I'm Chat Noir?" Adrien panicked. "I still love her now that I know she's Ladybug. I love her even more now."

"Marinette, do you still love me?"

"... of course I still love you, you stupid cat. I'm just trying to process this still. You had a lot more time than I did. I feel like everything's been thrown at me all at once. I can't keep up."

"If it makes you feel better, I had a hard time too," Adrien smiled, drawing Marinette in close. "When I saw you transform into Ladybug, I couldn't believe my eyes, but at the same time, it made so much sense. You were the perfect Ladybug! She could've only been you and I've loved you right from the start. You don't have to accept me right now. I'll understand, but I hope you won't give up on me. You're my purr-fect princess and my lovely lady."

"I'll never give up on you," Marinette smiled. Her heart felt at ease even though her head was pounding. This certainly was the way she imagined it, but it was good enough for her. To know that Adrien loved her back was a feeling that would last a lifetime.

They sat there for a moment, quietly enjoying each other. Plagg and Tikki waited patiently since they knew that the two teenagers needed some time to themselves. A few minutes passed and finally, Marinette stood up and brushed the dirt off her pants.

"We should take you home," she smiled, helping Adrien stand up. "Everyone is worried about you. I need to text Alya and Nino right away and I'll have to explain to my parents why their new part-timer has suddenly vanished into thin air."

"Sorry," Adrien replied sheepishly. "I left a lot of problems behind. I get myself into big trouble when I act impulsively. If I had done a better job of protecting those kids, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"If you didn't get into trouble, you wouldn't be Chat Noir, now would you? Besides, what you did was very brave. No one can blame you for that. It was partially my fault anyways. If I had done my job correctly, I would've used my lucky charm and not been so hasty."

"Let's split the blame fifty-fifty then?"

"I think I'm okay with that." To seal the deal, Marinette planted another kiss on Adrien's cheek, causing him to turn red like her suit. Marinette enjoyed being able to tease him and she suddenly didn't feel so nervous around him anymore. It felt like she was talking to a new person, not completely Adrien, but not completely Chat Noir either.

Adrien grabbed Marinette's hands and interlocked his fingers with hers. He gave her a cheeky grin, revealing his perfect white teeth. "Shall we go then, my lady?"

"Sure, chaton."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, a happy ending is in sight...


	13. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a long wait (sorry for that), this story finally draws to an end. Now that this story is finished, I'll be taking a bit of a break. I do have a new story in the works though that I'm very excited about! So please be on the look-out for that in the future!
> 
> And to everyone that has read this story along the way, thank you so much! I really appreciate you taking the time to read my story! :)

Marinette pulled Adrien through the streets of Paris, refusing to let go of his hand. His disheveled appearance earned him many curious stares, but he tried to ignore them. Instead, he was grateful to be walking hand in hand with the love of his life. She had been so close, but just out of his reach. Finally, they had been able to meet and Adrien was the happiest boy in the world.

"Um, where are we going?" Adrien asked. "Are we going back to the bakery because I really should be heading home? Everyone's freaking out and thinks I'm missing. I have to let them know I'm okay."

"But what do you plan on telling them once they know you're okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"They're going to ask you where you've been and what you've been doing. Are you planning on telling them that you got attacked by akuma and have basically been spending the last two weeks as an adult?"

Adrien wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say. Marinette had a point. He didn't know what to tell his family and friends. He couldn't tell them the truth, but if he offered no explanation, he would be in a world of trouble. His father would lock Adrien up in his room forever at this rate. Adrien looked over at Marinette with a worried glance, but she had a clever expression. He had seen that face before. She had a plan.

"Lucky for you, I'm a quick thinker," Marinette boasted. "There's someone who might be able to help us."

"Who?"

"You'll see!"

After a bit of a walk, the duo arrived in front of a familiar, old house. The door was slightly ajar and the scent of incense crept into the air. Adrien read the sign by the door and said, "Isn't this Master Fu's house? We can't go in here! I stayed with him while I was Felix. How am I supposed to explain to him that I'm actually fifteen?"

"Relax," Marinette laughed, pushing the door open even further. "I've got this."

They entered the house and were greeted by Master Fu who was sitting at the table and drinking tea. He looked up and smiled. "I've been expecting you two," he said in a wise tone. "Please take a seat. There's plenty of tea to go around."

" _What's going on?"_ Adrien wondered as he sat down and grabbed a cup of tea. " _I feel like Master Fu is always one step ahead. I'm completely lost..."_

"Master Fu," Marinette started, bowing her head slightly. "This is Adrien Agreste, but I'm sure you knew that already, didn't you?"

"Of course!" Master Fu laughed heartily. "These old eyes have seen too much to be tricked. I know this young man by all his names. Adrien, Felix, and even Chat Noir. I must say it's wonderful to finally be able to sit down with you two. Sometimes I never even get to have this conversation because keeping a secret is more important. This is refreshing."

"I think I missed something," Adrien interjected. "How did you know I was... well me and how do you know I'm Chat Noir? I've never told anybody and Marinette only found out an hour ago!" Adrien was horrified to hear that someone else knew his secret. He worked so hard to keep it a secret and here this old man seemed to know everything about him.

"Who do you think gave you that miraculous, my boy? It certainly didn't show up out of thin air."

Marinette took Adrien's hand and began to rub it slowly with her fingers to help keep him calm. "Master Fu is like the keeper of all miraculous knowledge. He and his kwami, Wayzz, have the job of choosing and watching over Chat Noir and Ladybug," she explained. "By the way, where's Wayzz?"

Master Fu gave a whistle and a tiny, flying turtle came out of nowhere and landed on the table. "Hello Miss Marinette," the creature bowed. "How are you today?"

"Very good and you, Wayzz?"

"Never better. And this young man must be Chat Noir. It's so nice to see you back to normal. I don't think I've seen an akuma attack get that out of hand for at least a hundred years, but I had confidence that you and Ladybug could handle it."

Adrien gave the creature a puzzled look and uttered out a quiet, "Um... thanks?" He was starting to understand what was going on, but his brain was still struggling to keep up. For the time being, he planned to sit and listen carefully. He still wasn't sure what Marinette was planning. Adrien reached for his tea and took a sip. The strong bitterness of it surprised him and he immediately spit it back into the cup. " _It was so good before!"_ He scrunched up his nose in disgust and set the tea back on the table. " _Guess I'm definitely back to being a kid again."_

He looked up from his cup and saw Master Fu and Marinette staring at him. "Sorry!" he exclaimed, pushing the tea aside. "I just wasn't... err... expecting the flavor. It's not really my cup of tea." Master Fu and Marinette burst into laughter, leaving Adrien flustered and embarrassed.

"Anyways," Marinette began as she tried to stifle her laughter. "Now that Adrien's back to normal, he's going to need some help explaining everything. His dad and all his friends are worried. Not to mention, the police are searching for him! Are you able to help?"

"I might be able to pull some strings," Master Fu grinned, stroking his beard. "But I might need some help. Come on out you two. I know you're listening and there's no need to hide anymore. I'll need your help as much as anyone else's."

Plagg and Tikki came flying out and sat next to Wayzz on the table. "Thank goodness," Plagg moaned. "I was getting tired of hiding in there. It gets so stuffy in Adrien's shirt! I can hardly breath!"

Tikki rolled her eyes and sighed. "You never change, do you?" she frowned.

"No bickering at the table," Master Fu laughed. "We have important things to discuss especially for you, Plagg. When Adrien returns home, I'm sure it will be a rough transition. I need you to look after him, okay?"

Plagg nodded as Adrien raised an eyebrow. "I think it's the other way around," Adrien joked. "I'm usually the one looking after him. He can't go five minutes without causing trouble."

"I don't know if you're one to talk," Marinette replied snarkily, shutting Adrien right up. She took a sip of her tea and gave Adrien a smirk. Now that she knew he was Chat Noir, all her nerves seemed to have subsided. The love of her life was nothing but a big loser which meant she didn't have to hold back on the sarcasm.

"You two are very energetic," Master Fu observed. "A good pair indeed. Anyways, I will do my best to help mitigate Adrien's circumstances. The police will be easy to fool, but your father is another story. Another story entirely..."

"That's what I was afraid of," Adrien groaned. "But I think I can handle it. I'm at fault for worrying my father so much. I never tried to reach out to him and didn't realize how much he cared about me. I'm to blame for that."

"You've certainly gotten wiser. Being an adult has open your eyes to a new world."

"You bet, but I'm glad to be back to normal. I'm not ready to be all grown up yet. There's still a lot of things I have to do," Adrien smiled. "All that schoolwork I missed is just one of those things. That's another nightmare I'm trying to ignore."

"Don't worry," Marinette giggled as she gave Adrien's hand a squeeze. "I can help you with that. I might've been collecting notes for you the entire time you were absent. I don't think schoolwork is going to be an issue."

" _Marinette has really saved my life in more ways than one today,"_ Adrien gratefully sighed. " _I don't know how I can ever make this up to her."_

Master Fu looked out the window and noticed that the sun had begun to set. The day was growing old and he didn't want to keep Marinette and Adrien any longer. They both had homes to go home to especially Adrien. Master Fu didn't want to give his father another day worrying about his child.

"It's getting late, so how about we take Adrien home?" Master Fu smiled, slowly standing up. "I'm sure there are plenty of people there waiting for you."

Tikki and Plagg returned to their hiding spots as Marinette and Adrien followed Master Fu out the door. As they walked towards Adrien's, Marinette could tell how tense he was. Adrien Agreste never looked nervous, but now he was visibly distressed. His fists were tight as he stared blankly into space. All the possible things he could say to his father were racing through his mine, but none of them seemed quite right.

"Don't be scared," Marinette told him. "You've beaten the baddest akuma Hawk Moth has to offer. Your dad should be a piece of cake! He'll be happy to see you home most of all." She gave Adrien her confident, Ladybug smile and he felt a bit better. He wished he had his alter ego's confidence though. He could really use it.

The trio arrived at the iron gate of the large, Agreste mansion. Surprisingly, the gate was slightly ajar and the camera at the entrance wasn't activated like Marinette remembered. Everything was eerily silent as if the entire household had shut down or was abandoned.

Adrien took a deep breath and pushed open the gate, heading towards the front door. Marinette and Master Fu exchanged wary glances, but followed him. They walked up to the door and they could hear arguing voices from inside. Someone was getting heated in there.

Adrien reached for the door handle, but stopped midway. " _I don't know if I can do this,"_ he worried. " _What am I going to say? What's father going to say? I still feel so guilty that I don't think I can look him in the face."_ He felt a warm hand grab his and looked up to find Marinette cheering him on. She put his hand on the handle and nodded. " _But maybe I can do it if I'm not alone..."_

The door swung open and Adrien walked inside, head held high. In the foyer, he found his father screaming at Nino and Alya. Behind him were Nathalie and the Gorilla looking uncomfortable. Nathalie was trying to calm Mr. Agreste down, but to no such luck. Adrien had never seen his father so mad. Nino was up in Gabriel's face, prepared to fight, while Alya stood behind him as support.

"How dare you imply it's my fault my son left?" Gabriel Agreste shouted, looking down at Nino. "You know nothing about him. I had forbidden you from entering this household and I consider your relationship with Adrien shotty as best."

"Hold up!" Nino argued back. "Adrien is my best bro and I think you need to realize how cray cray you've made him. He's got no time to be a kid and for all that work he does for you, do you think he's ever heard a 'thanks'?"

"Young man, my patience is wearing thin..."

"Sir, my patience with you wore out a long time ago," Nino quipped. "And I wouldn't be surprised if Adrien's did too."

"Get out of my house!"

"Gladly! I'm leaving right- Adrien?" Nino turned to leave and saw Adrien standing awkwardly in the door with Marinette and a strange, old man behind him. Everyone else turned to see them with wide eyes.

"Bro!" Nino ran up to Adrien and gave him a hug, almost jumping into his arms. From underneath his glasses, there were tiny tears. Never in his life had Nino been so happy to see somebody. "Bro, you're back!"

"Yeah..." Adrien smiled, returning the hug. "I missed you."

"Don't ever scare me like that again! I thought you were dead! Where the hell have you been?"

"It's kinda a long story..."

"We've got time," Alya interrupted, pulling Nino off Adrien. She gave Marinette a questioning glare and said, "This seems like an interesting story and I'm curious as how to Marinette fits in." She rose an eyebrow and Marinette awkwardly smiled back. She hadn't considered what she was going to tell Alya yet.

"I'm just kidding," Alya laughed as she jokingly punched Adrien in the shoulder. "I'm just glad you're back. We were all so worried. I thought Nino was going to have a breakdown in class yesterday. You had us scared. Don't ever run off like that again, okay?"

Adrien nodded, happy to see the warm smiles of his friends. He had missed them all so much. He didn't realize how hard his disappearance would affect them too, but that was a sign that they were good friends. They were welcomed him back with open arms, but maybe his father wouldn't.

He looked up at his father who was staring him down. Gabriel wasn't moving like he was frozen in place. Adrien walked passed Nino and Alya, standing in front of his father. Gabriel watched him, but said nothing. Not surprised by the silence, Adrien took a deep breath and nervously smiled.

"I'm home," he said.

Suddenly, Gabriel embraced his son which caught everyone off guard. He hugged his son tightly so that he could never run away again. Gabriel rested his hand on Adrien's head and whispered, "Welcome home..."

Adrien felt tears well up as he hugged his father back. "I missed you," he cried, trying to hold back his overwhelming emotions. "I really missed you."

Everyone watched the scene with a smile, glad to see father and son finally reunited. For Adrien's friends, they saw that Gabriel wasn't as bad a father as he let on. He truly cared about his son. And for Nathalie and the Gorilla, they finally got to see Adrien and Gabriel connect and treat each other like family.

After an emotional few minutes, Gabriel pulled away and straightened his tie. He put on his business face and Adrien knew he was in for a world of trouble. Of course his father was happy to see him safe and sound, but that didn't mean a punishment wasn't on the way.

"So care to explain where you've been?" Gabriel frowned, crossing his arms. "I had all of Paris out looking for you with no luck. Where were you hiding?"

"About that..." Adrien replied sheepishly. "I... err..."

"He was staying with me," Master Fu stepped in, hobbling over with his cane. "I found him a little lost and bewildered, so he's been staying in my home for the time being while he thought things over. You have raised a strong son. He is a wonderful young man."

"Thank you for taking care of him," Mr. Agreste bowed. "I'm sorry his irresponsibility was a burden to you. We will compensate you for your time."

" _Irresponsibility?"_ Adrien thought, slightly offended. " _I wasn't being irresponsible. I got into this mess because I was saving Paris from an enraged babysitter, but it's not like I can tell father that. I'll have to bite my tongue for now."_

"You do not need to," Master Fu grinned, giving his cane a tap on the ground. "It was a wonderful time. What is most important is what Adrien has learned from this experience. It will shape him into a fine hero."

"Hero?"

"Human being... I meant human being. Anyways, I do not want to crash this sweet reunion any longer so I will take leave. Good luck, Adrien. I hope to hear from you in the future."

"Yes, sir," Adrien promised. He still had lots of questions for the old man and planned on making a visit soon. Naturally, he would bring Marinette with. Their Ladybug and Chat Noir adventures were far from over. Master Fu would be a wealth of knowledge during their fight against Hawk Moth.

"Children, why don't you come with me?" Master Fu suggested. "Give them some time." Nino and Alya shuffled out sadly, wanting to spend more time with Adrien. Marinette gave Adrien a thumbs up and pointed at her cell phone. She would call him later to sort the finer details out and she was hoping that meant dating. Everyone vacated the room including Nathalie and the Gorilla, leaving Adrien and Gabriel alone.

"Adrien Agreste! Do you have any idea how many problems you caused? I left town for a week and return to find you missing. I know you are still a child, but that do you know how heartbreaking that is for a father? The police thought you might be dead!" Gabriel Agreste ranted once everyone left the room. And while he seemed upset, Adrien noticed that he looked more relieved than angry.

"I'm sorry," Adrien bowed his head. He didn't know what to tell his father besides apologizing a thousand times. He couldn't tell him the truth, but still felt guilty about withholding secrets. Adrien hadn't seen his father this shaken since his mother disappeared.

"It's fine..." Gabriel sighed, rubbing his temples. "Go upstairs and clean up. You're a mess."

Adrien looked down at himself and realized he was still covered in dirt and grime. His hair wasn't in it's usual neat, brushed back style. He felt exhausted after that akuma attack and it probably showed on his face. It would feel good to shower and then take a nap in his own bed afterwards. He had missed his bed so much, he promised himself never to part with it again.

"Thank you, father." Adrien walked past Gabriel Agreste and headed up the stairs. " _I might have dodged a bullet there,"_ he thought with a smirk. " _He's upset no doubt, but he seems happier than I'm safe and sound. Maybe there won't be a-"_

"And Adrien?"

"Yes, father?"

"You're grounded for a month."

" _Never mind..."_

Adrien went up to his bedroom and took a nice shower. He changed into comfortable clothes and jumped into his comfy bed. "Plagg, it's so great to be home!" Adrien rolled around just to make sure everything was real. He had been waiting a long time for this.

While celebrating his reunion with his bed, Adrien heard a clattering sound from inside the garbage can. He walked over to the garbage and leaned over to see Plagg inside, devouring chunks of camembert. "What are doing?" Adrien laughed. "We're finally back home and you choose to sit in the garbage can? And where did you get all that cheese?"

"Your secret stash isn't all that secret, kid."

"I guess you deserve it. I don't think I could've made it through all that without you."

"I'm not much for sappy thank yous, but you're welcome," Plagg smiled as he shoved another piece of cheese in his mouth. "By the way when you were in the shower, your phone was lighting up like crazy. I think a certain Ladybug might be on the line."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Adrien dove for his phone and quickly scrolled through all the missed messages. A few were from Nino and Alya, but most were from Marinette. Adrien dialed her number and waited for the phone to pick up, butterflies in his stomach. Even though she returned his feelings, he still felt giddy every time he thought of her.

"You're alive! Thank goodness!" Marinette sighed, picking up the phone. "You didn't answer any of my messages and I thought maybe your father had buried you in the backyard."

"N-No... nothing that severe. I am grounded for a month though which means I probably won't be seeing anyone outside of school."

"Good thing we have a way to get around that. Meet you at the Eiffel Tower tonight?"

"Of course, my lady."

"You don't have to call me anymore," Marinette giggled. "I have a name."

"Yes, but you'll always be my lady."

Cheesy remarks aside, Adrien promised himself to hold onto Marinette forever. Now that he had found her, he was never letting go. Things were back to normal, but hopefully things between them were starting to change. To start, Adrien wanted to ask her to be his girlfriend. He never officially asked her out considering the circumstances.

Night time arrived after what felt like an eternity of waiting. Adrien looked at the window and saw the bright stars. "You ready to go, Plagg?" he asked the kwami lying on the bed.

"Sure," Plagg moaned. "I'm still exhausted, but whatever..."

"Okay! Claws out!"

Meanwhile, Marinette was preparing to leave at her house and in an utter panic. "Tikkk! Does this count as a date?" Marinette cried as night time grew nearer. "Did I ask Adrien Agreste on a date? Is this real life? Am I still breathing?"

"You're fine, Marinette," Tikki smiled. "Calm down..."

"And I know he said he liked me, but what if he gets disinterested?"

"He's infatuated with you. I've never seen anyone more in love except for you! Everything will be fine. You two have a bright future!"

"Thanks, Tikki. Anyways, it looks like it's time to go. Spots on!"

The Eiffel Tower was illuminated against the backdrop of the night. While life was bustling down belong, it was quiet at the top until two heroes arrived. Ladybug was there first, patiently waiting, when Chat Noir appeared.

"Late as usual," Ladybug joked as Chat Noir sat down beside her. "But I suppose I'll let it slide today. Was it hard to escape the iron prison?"

"It wasn't bad," explained Chat. "Father only sent Nathalie to watch over me and she's asleep. He locked the front door, but he probably never thought I'd escape through the windows. No one should ever notice I'm gone."

"That's good..."

There was a moment of awkward silence. Neither knew what to say, but Chat Noir took the first step.

"I should apologize again," he said, bowing his head. "I put you through a lot and never told you the truth. I didn't realize how much my disappearance would affect you and-"

"You don't need to apologize," Ladybug smiled, resting her head on Chat's shoulder. "You've already been forgiven. The initial anger has passed. I'm just glad you're safe and alive."

"Really? That makes this much easier then. I didn't want to ruin my chances of you saying yes."

"What do you mean?"

Chat Noir stood up and kneeled in front of Ladybug. He took her hand and gently kissed it. "My lady," he began before shaking his head. "No, Marinette. I know I'm reckless and get us both into lots of trouble. And I'm not the most perfect guy in the world, but would you... would you be my girlfriend?"

"Yes!" Ladybug leaped forward and gave Chat Noir a hug. "Yes, kitty! This is a dream come true!"

"Do I finally have permission to do this now?" Chat Noir asked, leaning in close to her face. He pressed his lips against hers and let the moment sweep him away.

It was the first official kiss of many more to come, a sign of the future of Ladybug and Chat Noir, adult or otherwise.


End file.
